Just Darcy
by dragongoddess13
Summary: Darcy Lewis never thought that she could ever be anything more than what she was because to her, she was always Just Darcy. Plain ol'Poli-Sci major Darcy Lewis. And then she got a phone call….
1. Just Darcy

Just Darcy

Chapter 1: Just Darcy

* * *

Darcy never believed she was the type of girl who was destined to find love. She never held out hope that one day prince charming would stroll in on his white stallion and sweep her off her feet. She never dreamed that one day she would escape this life, this mundane existence. The same thing day in and day out, barely being happy with the way her life was going. And she certainly never believed that she could draw the attention of some insanely hot guy for anything more than the proportions of her body. Being well endowed had its pitfalls, especially for someone like her who labeled herself a social outcast. She never believed that one day she would go from the middle of nowhere New Mexico, to right in the middle of everything New York all in the short scape of one year. She never thought that she could ever be anything more than what she was because to her, she was always just Darcy. Plain ol'Poli-Sci major Darcy Lewis.

And then she got a phone call….

* * *

_Is this the real life; is it just fantasy_

_Caught in a land slide, no escape from reality_

_Open your eyes, look up to the sky and s…_

"Hmloo." Darcy mumbled half asleep into her cell phone.

"_Yes, Miss Lewis?"_ was the reply on the other end. She half nodded before her sleep addled mind realized whoever this was couldn't see her.

"This is she." She replied her voice croaky.

"_This is Agent Coulson, I don't know if you remember me or the organization I work for but I was hoping we could meet for lunch one day this week to discuss potential employment opportunities." _Coulson said. There was a pause on Darcy's end and Coulson was just beginning to wonder if she was still there when her voice rang out confused.

"Um…what?" she asked, it was evident the direction of this conversation had woken her up rather quickly.

"_We were rather impressed with your managing skills and how quickly you picked up on paperwork and other things that you were subjected to during your time with Dr. Foster." _Coulson told her clinically.

"Um….ok." she replied slowly as if still determining whether or not she was dreaming.

"_Excellent, then how about this afternoon at say 2:00pm?" _he continued. _"We'll meet at the café on Burch Ave." _he added. She answered with a quick ok, before he hung up leaving her slack jawed and fully awake. She starred down at her phone in total disbelief.

"What!"

* * *

She had to have lost her mind, it was the only explanation she could come up with to explain why she would actually consider much less show up to a meeting with a man she had a met for a total of, generously, thirty minutes to discuss what he claimed was a job, but really what kind of job could she, a recent graduate of Political Science possibly get with a secret organization. Sure she graduated from Yale but still, it's not like there was much use for someone with her kind of training in a top secret organization that does god only knows what and where and with who, and really how could anyone think that she could help with stuff like that. The most she could do is work with politicians.

Oh god, what if they wanted her to be a spy or something in the office of a politician. She couldn't be a spy, she could never be a spy. She tried to shop lift once and even though she got away with it she was such a nervous wreck before, during and after that she not only returned to the store to pay for what she took, but she volunteered to work there for however long she had to, to make up for it. The store owner just asked her not to do it again but still she was crazy over it.

Darcy took a deep breath as she neared the café. She looked down at her phone reading the time. 1:54pm, just on time. She entered the café a moment later and looked around finding the somewhat familiar face in the back. She made a beeline for him squelching down the urge to barf. Coulson, noticed her approach and stood as she got closer, offering her his hand. She took it, shaking it, before taking the seat across from him. There was a short silence between them as Coulson took a drink of his coffee. What was only a moment felt like a million as she waited for him to say something.

"You can relax Miss Lewis, you're not in any kind of trouble." Coulson told her noting her tense demeanor. She relaxed only a fraction.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if that's possible. I've been thinking about it all morning and I really can't for the life of me figure out what S.H.E.I.L.D would want with a Poli-Sci graduate." She replied simply.

"Well, it's very simple." He answered. She wouldn't lie; the lack of emotion was a bit unnerving. Like he could shoot her right here, right now in front of all these people and get away with it. "While we were in New Mexico, I took note of all the civilians involved, the town's people, etc. and in doing so I was required to do background checks and the like including on you." He paused to sip his coffee, apparently he took some sick joy in her anxiousness. "I was impressed with what I found." He turned in his seat pulling a file out of a brief case on the floor next to him. He opened it. "Excellent memory, identic it says here, a mostly strong family background, a parent in the military, a wealthy family, so you have a working knowledge of the socialite world, excellent education, grades and test scores, as well as a slew of other things." He looked up at her taking in her shocked expression.

"Um….are you sure you have the right girl?" she asked confused. Coulson smiled lightly, it didn't reach his eyes.

"Very sure Miss Lewis." He replied simply. She hesitated before answering.

"Ok, well, that still doesn't tell me what you guys want with me." She said shakily.

"Simple, I need a new assistant." He replied. His tone changed a bit to relay he was a bit annoyed at what he was about to say. "Apparently I have a reputation as being a difficult boss amongst other agents. That being said, I…" he cleared his throat. "I have to agree with them, I find it a bit difficult to find the right people to keep up with the demands of the job." He told her. He then added quickly. "If you tell anyone I admitted that I will deny it." She nodded in understanding, her eyes wide. "I believe that with your skills, training and personality you will be perfect to fill this empty position." He told her forwardly. He looked her over taking in the way her body relaxed only to tense again as everything he said washed over her.

"Huh?" she finally forced out. Coulson chuckled, amused by her blatant confusion and shock.

"I know this seems sudden." He continued as he brought his coffee mug away from his lips.

"You can say that again." Darcy interrupted finally finding the will to speak coherently.

"I assure you that while it may seem sudden to you, I have been considering this since you left New Mexico at the end of your internship." He explained.

"That was nearly a year and half ago, why wait until now?" she blurted out.

"Simple, I wanted you to finish your education and of course there was the incident in New York that I am sure you are aware of." Coulson replied. Darcy couldn't help but notice how casually he said 'Incident in New York' apparently S.H.I.E.L.D wasn't all that impressed with aliens and Gods trying to take over the world or the team of super heroes that prevented it.

"Ok, well, what exactly would I be doing?" she asked. It was a reasonable question of course but somewhere in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder if he was even allowed to tell her before she accepted the job.

"I'm not really supposed to tell you before you accept the position." He began. Nailed it. "However, I find it a bit unreasonable to ask you to jump into something with no real knowledge of what you're getting yourself into. I'll put this as simply as I can; this is not a job that you can just walk away from because you're bored. The things you'll be doing and the people you'll be working with are highly sensitive and confidential. There's no posting about this or that on Facebook or Twitter and especially no photos online anywhere. Your family, your friends, anyone you are close to are not allowed to know what it is you do. There will be no going to family dinner on Christmas or Thanksgiving and telling grandma or a cousin what you do for a living, no matter what they may think." He paused. "Now, with that said, your official title will be Chief Assistant Liaison Agent. This means that you will work directly under me and answer only to me, Deputy Director Hill, and/or Director Fury. Your duties will include a wide range of tasks, like administrative work and so on and so forth. If you decide to take the job I will go into farther detail with everything." He paused again, judging her reaction. When he was sure she wouldn't run out screaming he continued. "I realize that you may have some questions about me or the organization, but for security reasons I cannot answer them until I know you will accept the job. I also know that may make you uneasy but if it makes you feel better Dr. Foster and Dr. Selvig, are both working with us now and if you accept the job you will be in almost regular contact with them."

Coulson finished his monologue, then finished off his coffee and waited patiently for Darcy to reply. He had a feeling it would take a few minutes for her mouth to catch up with her brain. He watched as she took a deep breath, contemplation clear as day on her face. After a few moments she looked him the eye, something he was always impressed with since not many people who knew him could actually do that, and said;

"Ok, what the hell." She paused nodding. "You only live once." She continued, earning herself a small smile from Coulson, once again it didn't reach his eyes –she'd have to get him to teach her how he managed that.

"That's the spirit." He turned back to his brief case and pulled out another file. He handed it to her and she took it without hesitation. "This is an information packet that you may find useful. Normally I would tell someone that I don't expect them to memorize everything but given your identic memory you don't really have a choice I suppose." She smiled lightly finding it refreshing that he did at least know how to attempt to joke. "Specifically you will find dress code, rules and regulation and where and when to report for your first day. Our headquarters are in New York so your train ticket is also in there. When you do arrive someone will bring you to the office you'll be working in, that's where I will meet you and go over any questions you have as well as go into the work you'll be doing." She simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak coherently at the moment.

Coulson opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out, looking slightly annoyed by what he saw on the caller id and answered. His conversation was short and curt but she could tell whoever had called was grating on his nerves utterly and completely. When the conversation was over he hung up by snapping his phone shut rather brutally and replacing it in his inside jacket pocket. "I'm sorry to have to cut this meeting short but duty calls. Just look over what I gave you and I will see soon." He said standing up. He gathered his brief case. Darcy stood along with him and when he turned from retrieving his briefcase she shook his proffered hand. "I'm very much looking forward to working with you Miss Lewis. You are a very open minded young woman and I honestly believe you will do very well with us."

"Thank you." She murmured uncharacteristically bashfully. This time when he smiled at her it was a reassuring kind of smile, one she was sure he wasn't faking. He turned to leave only a moment later leaving Darcy to her thoughts on the short walk back to her studio apartment down the road.

* * *

A/N: Yay chapter 1 is complete. I've been sitting on this idea for a while now. I usually watch the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes on Disney XD on Sundays and one day I got to thinking what would happen if it were more like the movies, like Ultimate Spider-man which airs right before. So here is what I got. A little bit of both, you don't have to watch the show to get anything. I promise I won't make it complicated, but I am considering adding characters from the cartoons into the story, mostly for comic relief (i.e. Spider-man, White Tiger, Nova, Iron Fist, Power man-These all being, of course from Ultimate Spiderman meaning there like 16, 17 at most , Black Panther-I like his friendship with Hawkeye in the cartoons very much so I feel like his character would benefit from having that in this story as well, Wasp, Antman- these two are iffy Antman's high and mighty personality gets on my nerves and his new persona yellow jacket need a kick in the nuts) And a few characters to make the plot a little more entertaining (i.e. Kang the Conqueror- it will become more clear in a later chapter why, The Skrulls and The Cree- there may only be mention of these two races there may not it all depends on which direction I take this story, etc.)

Anyway, all feedback is welcome and appreciated as well as any insight you may have on the characters I mentioned (Do you think they should be left out, do like the idea etc. etc.)

-Later Days!


	2. Make That Just Probie Darcy Lewis

Just Darcy

Chapter 2: Make That Just Probie Darcy Lewis

* * *

"_Deep breaths Lewis, you can do this. You can so do this. You are strong enough to handle this. You, who tased the Norse God of Thunder." _She took a deep breath looking herself in the mirror. She wore a black leather pencil skirt and long sleeved button up blouse, as well as black stiletto shoes. Oh yea, she was hot. The only thing missing was the painted on bitch brow. She smiled at her reflection giving herself the once over before stepping away and gathering everything left over in the bathroom. She then made her way out into her bedroom depositing said items in her small duffle bag along with a book to read, her I-pod, the clothes she slept in that night, a snack for the train, and the paperwork Coulson gave her the previous Friday.

She checked her phone, taking note of the time. She had thirty minutes to catch her train to New York. Grabbing her bag off the bed she made her way to the door and looked around the apartment. She took note of how big the small space now seemed without all of her stuff in it. She was going to miss this apartment, she was going to miss the little hole in the wall Chinese place down the street that knew he order by heart and made the best wanton soup ever. And she was definitely going to miss quiet little Connecticut in lieu of loud, never sleeps New York.

With a final look around, Darcy closed the door behind her and made her way outside where a cab was waiting for her. She got in, and watched sadly as they pulled away from the building. She smiled lightly to herself. She was taking a new step in her life starting off in a new direction and she had a feeling this was going to be good for her. Maybe she would finally find herself a little niche she could be happy in. Yea, this was definitely going to be good.

The cab reached the train station with ten minutes to spare and she managed to get through security rather quickly. She boarded the train and got comfortable in her seat, before pulling out her paper work from Coulson. She skimmed through it again making sure she knew everything she needed to know. It was fairly simple. Once she made it to New York a car would be waiting for her to take her to HQ. From there she would let the greeter at the front desk know who she was and then wait for someone to bring her to her office. She would go through a meeting with Coulson to answer questions and concerns as well as explain things she would need to know and then after she could either be shown to her new apartment that was to be supplied by S.H.I.E.L.D. or she could go through a full day of work and wait until afterward and Coulson would show her to her new living quarters. She wasn't really sure how she felt knowing her boss was going to be living in such close proximity but then again she was more worried that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s definition of 'living quarters' was worse than Jane's. She wasn't sure she could live in a trailer again.

When she was done going over everything she closed the file and slipped it into her purse. She then pulled out her I-pod and book from her duffle bag. She wasted no time in slipping her ear buds on and beginning to read where she left off as the train lurched forward.

A short time later her phone buzzed. She picked it up not recognizing the number the text came from.

Hey Darce,

Just heard the good news from Coulson, I'm so excited we'll be working together again.

-Jane

Hey stranger long time no speak

-Darcy

I know I'm sorry, they gave me a new phone and I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone outside of shield while I was working on certain projects, but hey, did you see Thor is back, he's here! I get to see him every day; I don't think I've ever been this happy.

-Jane

It's ok, and congrats Jane really I'm so happy for you guys….OMG you found Prince Charming!

-Darcy

And here we go

-Jane

Awe did he sweep you off your feet the first time he saw you again. Did you ride off into the sunset on his white steed?

-Darcy

Your obsession with pop culture is sickening

-Jane

You love me

-Darcy

God only knows why, lol, just kidding, anyway how about we have lunch today, catch up on old times?

-Jane

Sounds great I can't wait!

-Darcy

Excellent, see you soon then

-Jane

Yes, looking forward to it

-Darcy

* * *

"Miss Lewis?" a tall dark haired man in a simple black suit asked her as she approached.

"That's me." She replied cheerily a warm smile on her face. She watched as the man's lips twitched as if he was forcing himself not to smile back. He held out a hand to her. She took it.

"Agent McDowell." He replied shaking her hand. "Agent Coulson sent me to retrieve you." He continued. She nodded in understanding and followed him out of the train station. He led her to a simple black sedan with dark tinted windows. The agent stepped up taking her bag for her and opening the passenger's door for her. She smiled and thanked him before climbing in. She waited as he put her bag in the trunk before getting into the driver's seat. They were on the road minutes later, and she made sure to pay attention to where they were going so she could find her way back on her own if necessary.

After a while the silence grew a bit much for her, so she turned to the agent next to her with a smile. "So, is this your only duty or did you just draw the short straw today?" she asked him. He smirked slightly.

"No, ma'am, I work in the office you will be working in as well." He replied.

"So you drew the short straw." She joked. He chuckled.

"To be honest, I thought so at first, but seeing as you're not what anyone thought you'd be I believe I can change my opinion." He told her amused. She looked at him suspiciously.

"What did people think I'd be like?" she questioned curiously. She didn't like the idea of people making assumptions about her before they'd even met her her mother always did something similar, and it never sat well with her. He could tell he may have insulted her and quickly back tracked.

"Well you see, there were a few people who thought you would probably be some stone faced former military type. Much older, that's for sure and definitely not as pretty." He told her. She scowled to herself. He was trying to cover up what he was saying by flirting with her.

"And why exactly would people think that?" she asked. He chuckled nervously.

"Well, you see, Coulson isn't exactly the easiest guy to work for so it was assumed that the woman he hired would be very tough and very clinical." He replied. She didn't reply as she nodded and turned back to face the road. They were silent for a while longer. The silence apparently was too much for the agent however, as he soon began to speak again. "It's not that everyone is horrible people to work with, you just sort of took everyone by surprise." He continued. She looked confused. She hadn't met anyone else so her appearance was definitely not what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He sighed.

"Well…" he hesitated as if not sure he should tell her anything. "You see, you were hired to a very lucrative and high ranking position. Meanwhile, I don't presume to know anything about you or your background, but if I assume correct you've had no training military or otherwise and yet you've been hired above agents who have worked in the agency for ten plus years." She 'ohed' and that was her only response. She could hear the slight bitterness in his voice as he explained. She had no doubt she got this job over him as well.

They soon pulled into a parking garage in the city. They parked, and she retrieved her bag from the trunk before Agent McDowell could. She wasn't trying to be rude but after what he said she wasn't too keen on appearing to need help in anyway shape or form. She knew he noticed her sudden tenseness but he said nothing and led her into the adjoining building. They climbed a flight of stairs and came out in the lobby of the building next door. Said agent then led her to the front desk where she signed in, she greeted the young woman at the front desk as cheerily as she could manage without seeming perky and received a sweet smile in return as well a temporary badge.

Within a few moments she was following a scowling McDowell into an elevator which took them to the thirty-ninth floor-second from the top- and down several hallways. Darcy took note of different things on the walls to make sure she could memorize her way around. Within five minutes the agent had led her to a large office. He walked in and she walked in after him taking note of the desk set up perpendicular to the door and the closed door at the far end of the room. Agent McDowell walked up to the door and knocked. She heard a muffled reply on the other side before said agent walked in.

"Ah, Agent McDowell, I take it all went smoothly." She heard Coulson say.

"Yes, sir." McDowell replied simply.

"Excellent, you can go back to work; I will take it from here." Coulson added. A second later both men exited the room, Coulson replacing his suit jacket on himself. McDowell passed Darcy without as much as a nod of acknowledgement something she really didn't mind. Coulson stopped in front of her looking between her and the retreating agent. "Something wrong?" he asked settling his gaze on her. She looked back at him debating whether or not to say something but quickly decided she shouldn't start out her first day at her new job by keeping secrets.

"I wasn't aware that I was offered this job in lieu of someone getting promoted." She explained. Coulson dropped his head and sighed. That had to be the most expression he'd shown in all the time she'd been around him. He looked back at his office and motioned for her to head there. She did and took the offered seat on the outside of his desk while he took his normal seat.

"The thing is Miss Lewis, I put every effort into finding someone to fill this position within the ranks but at the end of the day it became very apparent to me that no one had what it took to do this job." He explained.

"You're telling me that of all the highly trained agents here, I am the only one 'qualified' for this job?" she asked. She opened her mouth to say something else until a thought struck her. "This isn't just a simple secretary job is it?" she continued. Coulson shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid it won't be that simple." He told her. He turned to the credenza behind him and pulled a large set of files from the drawer. He then turned back placing them on the desk. "Let me start out by explaining exactly what it is that I do." He began. "Essentially I am S.H.I.E.L.D.'s third in command. As such I am in charge of all field operations, special and covert ops, personnel, and the various departments. Each department head, R and D, Medical, Defense, etc. they all report directly to me." He paused to take a breath. "Now, with that said recently we acquired a new….specialized department known amongst the ranks as the Avenger's Initiative. Given my job title, that automatically puts me in charge of taking care of the teams." He opened the file on the top of the pile and handed it to Darcy. She looked at it, noting that they were personnel profiles of each Avenger and potential future Avengers.

Darcy looked back up at Coulson. On the outside she conveyed calm- something she was very proud of herself for especially given her reputations as a total Spas- on the inside she was screaming so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts. She squelched her nausea before replying. "Um, ok…" she tried to say more but nothing came out. Taking the opportunity Coulson continued.

"Your job is actually rather simple. Among normal paperwork and secretarial duties you will have to do, you will also be a sort of liaison to the Avenger's Initiative, reporting directly to me as necessary. Anything they need, making sure they do their paperwork as well as collecting it from them. If they need something they will call you and you will write up the request to obtain it. And of course as I said before you are also my secretary/assistant. You'll keep appointments for me, remind me of events, take things around headquarters, collect annual reports from the different departments and just sort of be the face everyone sees instead of me." He finished his explanation and then turned his attention back to the stack of files. "Do you have any questions so far?" he asked not looking up. Darcy was silent as she stared down at the file in her hands. Slowly his question registered.

"Why me?" she asked. "How am I possibly more qualified than anyone else here?" the disbelief in her voice was not unexpected.

"Simple, because you aren't stuck in the agent mentality that everyone else in this office is stuck in." he told her. "These people, these heroes, they're not just super powered weapons to be used and then stored. They are in fact people, extraordinary, but people none the less. Take Spider-man for example; under that mask is a seventeen year old high school student with a passion for science who is doing everything in his power to balance family, friends, and running a super powered team of like-minded individuals, all while maintaining a 3.8 GPA. These people don't need hard faced agents, who can't see passed the glass ceiling above them. They need someone who cares, someone with the capacity to care, someone who will see them as the people they are and not the weapons they are mistaken for. The things they do, the personas they express for the public, their all just masks, and it's what's under that mask that we need to take care of."

Darcy starred at him wide eyed. She couldn't help but feel guilty. All this time she had only ever seen the man before her as a stone faced killer. A cog in the machine of this super-secret organization, but listening to him now it was beyond apparent that he legitimately cared about the people that worked under him or around him or anywhere else. She hated how people made snap judgments on her but here she was doing the same thing to someone else. "So, in essence, you want me to be there friend too." She replied. She hated how soft her voice came out but that was what happened when you were truly humbled. Coulson nodded. She looked down at the file again taking in the different faces of each individual. She could do that; she could totally be there for them. All these people living double lives to protect the people they cared about, the least she could do was make them comfortable. "I can do that." She added not looking up from the file.

"I know." he paused, pulling a few things out of his top desk drawer. He reached forward handing her one of the objects. She took it observing it. It was a very fancy looking smart phone. "This is your work phone. Every number you will need is in it, including mine and any Avenger with a cell phone of their own, the Director, Deputy Director, and department heads. You also have a few features on there that will make keeping track of everything less complicated. If anyone needs you or vice versa that phone will be how you reach them or they reach you. You may also want to keep your own phone for emergencies." He then held up the second object. She looked at it surprised. "This is your badge, keep it on you at all times when on duty." He flipped open the leather wallet the gold metal badge was sitting in and showed her a laminated badge inside. "This is your id, it will let you into different areas of the base as well as work as a pass in the cafeteria." He handed it over and then turned back to the stack of files. He pulled the next one open and pulled out a pack of paper.

"This is your schedule." He told her. "I neglected to tell you before but you will have to go through defense training as well as arms training. You will be required to carry a fire arm when on duty once you pass your qualification. Until then you are a probationary officer." He explained. He looked up at her to find her starring wide eyed at him.

"They want to give me a weapon?" she asked incredulously. Coulson chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Miss Lewis. You did tase the Norse God of Thunder after all." He replied trying to ease her mind. She snorted in laughter.

"That's more of a reason not to give me a gun." She retorted. Coulson shook his head.

"Please don't worry so much about the arms training as the self-defense training. Anyone can use a gun, the more important thing is to be able to defend yourself without one. And I promise you I put my two best agents in both fields on your training. You are in very good hands."

Darcy sighed. _"What have I gotten myself into?"_ She thought.

"If it makes you feel any better, I arranged for you to be allowed to carry your Taser around until you pass the qualifier." Coulson said. Truth be told that did make her feel better. She nodded in understanding. "Well then, if that's all, I can have Agent McDowell take you to your new quarters at Avenger's tower so you can settle in." he told her. Darcy froze looking up at him wide eyed. If that kept happening it was going to become a permanent look on her.

"Where?" she asked forcing herself not to stutter. Coulson smiled lightly.

"Director Fury believes that the Avenger's Initiative is the most important department at the moment and would like those in charge of it, i.e. you and I to be there in off hours in case something happens." He explained. Coulson stood from his chair and moved to open the door. He stood aside so once she stood as well she could walk out ahead of him. His actions seemed to wake her up and she did as his actions suggested. He followed her out and stopped in front of the desk in the room. "This will be your desk; there is a file in the top drawer with all the passwords and codes you will need for the computer." She looked over the mahogany desk and the state of the art computer on it. They definitely didn't spare any expense. "Give me a moment and I'll get Agent McDowell for you." He said as he moved to leave. It suddenly dawned on her that if she were to leave she'd have to go to Avenger's tower alone and possibly run into the resident super heroes, alone. She was sure she could handle this job with a little practice but she sure as hell wasn't ready to start practicing quite yet.

"Actually, Sir." She began catching him before he could leave the room. "I don't see a reason to waste an entire day of work just to unpack. I'm sure I could do that later tonight or this weekend. I think I'd like to start now if that's alright." She told him. He looked at her impressed and nodded.

"Alright, then let me get your first assignment from my office. Make yourself comfortable." He told her disappearing into his office. He was gone just long enough for her to log into the computer and follow the prompts on the screen. When he did return he was carrying four file folders. He stopped in front of the desk and handed them to her. She took them and set them in front of her. She opened the one on top immediately recognizing the familiar handwriting. "I regularly get reports from Drs. Foster, Banner, Selvig and Tony Stark on the work their doing via the R and D department. However, being scientists in a certain frame of mind they don't exactly write their reports in layman's terms, especially Tony Stark he seems to take pleasure in making everything difficult. I need you to translate these reports like you did when you worked for Dr. Foster." He told her. She nodded.

"Ok, not a problem." She replied ready to get right to work.

"Excellent, if you have any questions your welcome to go down to R and D they should all be there and ask what their trying to say. Just please let me know when you leave so I can answer the phone while you're gone." Coulson told her before leaving her to her work.

Darcy jumped right into her assignment with no hesitation. Everything was sort of nostalgic given how closely it resembled her internship work. She got through ninety percent of Jane's report before she completely stumped Google. Instead of running down right away to ask though, she set aside the rest of it and got to work on the other three. Eric's report was equally simple, he always was a bit more conscious of the people around him, and she was surprised to find she had no hangs up in the translation. She moved on to Dr. Banner's report next and breezed through it, stunned to find how much of it was already readable. The exception being a few paragraphs near the end but she got through rather well none the less. Then of course there was Tony Starks report, hand written by what she was sure was a chicken. She spent the fourth hour of her day translating his handwriting before she could even attempt to translate the actual words. By the time she was half way through his handwriting, Coulson appeared in front of her desk asking her if she intended to stop for lunch.

"A part of me wants to say no just for the shear satisfaction that I will get Stark's report done faster and then can lord it over him that he can't stump me that easy, but seeing as I skipped breakfast to catch the train, I probably should." She told him. He looked down at her amused.

"How far did you get?" he asked.

"I'm almost done translating this crap he calls handwriting." She replied.

"Well feel proud. You're getting through it faster than anyone ever has with the exception of Pepper Potts." Coulson explained. "What about the rest of the reports?"

"I finished everything but the last few paragraphs of Dr. Foster's. It's kind of hard to Google something when it's only just been discovered." She said amused. Coulson nodded in understanding.

"Good work, Miss Lewis." He congratulated. He checked his watch. "I should be going, I have a lunch meeting with the Director, so I may not be back until well after lunch, but I will certainly be back before quitting time, you'll be riding home with me, I'll show you the easiest way back from here." Darcy nodded in understanding then watched as the older man left.

When he was gone Darcy locked her computer and set a bookmark to the page she was working on before grabbing her purse and heading out the door herself. As she round the corner a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Miss Lewis." She turned, spotting Agent McDowell walking toward her. He stopped in front of her. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for this morning. I didn't mean to insult you or anything. Sometimes I just suck when it comes to knowing what to say." He told her. She smiled sweetly.

"It's ok, I understand." She replied. And she really did. How many times could she say she'd been caught with her foot in her mouth? Despite what she said he still looked a bit uneasy. "How about we start over? I'm Darcy Lewis." She said holding out her hand. He smiled lightly taking it and replying.

"Kevin McDowell." he seemed to lighten up at that. "You know, seeing as how you're new here I would be happy to show you around." He flirted. "I'm pretty well connected around here. How about we grab lunch?" He continued. Was he seriously flirting with her? This was supposed to be a new first impression and he flirts with her. She did her best not to scowl.

"Well that's very nice of you but I already…"

"Lady Darcy!" a loud, deep voice boomed down the hall. She looked to Kevin to see shock plastered there plain as day. He looked back at her with the same expression as she turned to greet the only person who would ever call her that.

"Hey big buy." She greeted in reply as he got closer. Without warning Thor picked her up in a huge bear hug. She laughed as he set her down.

"It is good to see you again my old friend." He replied happily, his usual million watt smile on his face. She smiled back

"You too." She replied. She looked around him. "No Jane?" she asked. He smile faltered.

"No, I'm afraid not, she has sent me with her deepest regrets but she was called into a meeting with the director and cannot make your gathering. However, she has sent me in her place. And if you will allow me I would be most delighted to do the catching up with you over a meal." He explained. She smiled brightly at him.

"That sounds great." She replied before turning back to Kevin. She felt a little bad when she saw his face, and for the fact that she sort of forgot he was there for a minute.

"I'm sorry Kevin, but as I was saying I already had plans." She told him. He looked to her, his expression reminding her of a deer caught in the headlights.

"Um….yea….ok…that's fine…..some other time then." He didn't so much as blink as he spoke and when he was done he turned on his heels and headed back the way he'd come. She couldn't help the smile as she watched him. She loved people's reactions to Thor, they were priceless. Even while wearing plain clothes like he was now, he still managed to freak people out. She turned back to said behemoth.

"Shall we go?" she asked receiving a bright smile and gentlemanly arm.

* * *

"Wow, they have everything here." Darcy said as she picked up her lunch tray and moved to follow Thor into the dining room.

"It does indeed seem so, nay?" Thor replied with a chuckle. The two friends stepped into the dining room and immediately Thor led them to a table with two women already seated there.

"Natasha, Miss Potts." He greeted. They looked up at him as he approached. The one she knew as Pepper Potts smiled in return, while the other, whom she could only presume was Natasha looked unimpressed. She had to be an agent.

"Hello Thor, have a seat, how are you?" Pepper asked. He smiled in return.

"I am well, I would like you both to meet my dear friend Darcy Lewis." He then replied setting his food down at the table and gesturing to Darcy behind him. She smiled at the two women.

"Hello." She greeted. She had to admit she was a bit thrown off when Thor decided to introduce them. Pepper smiled sweetly.

"Oh, Miss Lewis, Phil's new assistant." Pepper replied. Darcy nodded.

"That's me." She replied a bit more like herself. Natasha spoke up next.

"Hope he's not working you too hard." She said. Darcy laughed and shook her head.

"Not at all, so far the work he has me doing is fairly simple, well it was." She replied. They looked at her curiously. "Right now I'm translating reports from Drs. Foster, Selvig, Banner, and Tony Stark…" she didn't have to finish before Pepper interjected.

"Oh you poor thing, I'm so sorry." She said shaking her head. "I still don't understand how a grown man can have such terrible hand writing." The two women laughed.

"I assure you he's a man in physical appearance alone." Natasha added causing Pepper to laugh harder.

"So true, that man could lift his own balloon with the hot air her blows." Pepper replied when she calmed down. "But I love him anyway." Natasha smirked and Darcy suddenly wasn't so nervous about the red head. Natasha looked over at Darcy after a moment.

"So, other than Tony's horrible penmanship how is your first day so far?" she asked. Darcy finished taking a drink before replying.

"Well, I rode three hours on a train from Connecticut. I found out my co-workers all believed I was some big, burly, old woman, and they all pretty much hate me because I'm an "outsider". And I'm pretty sure the guy who picked me up today was actually trying to pick me up." Darcy explained.

"Hmm, so pretty good then?" Pepper joked. Darcy nodded.

"Yep, pretty good." They laughed.

"Wait, I am most confused. Why would this man try to pick you up? Were you injured?" Thor questioned. The three women did their best not to laugh.

"No, Thor, not physically pick up. He was trying to flirt with me." Darcy explained.

"I see and you are not interested in him?" Thor asked. Darcy blushed. She couldn't believe she was actually talking about this with Thor.

"Yea, Darcy, do tell." Pepper added, noticing her embarrassment. She was definitely trying to throw her under the bus.

"No, I was not. He seemed a bit too full of himself and plus I don't date people I share office space with." She explained.

"Smart." Was Natasha's only reply.

The rest of lunch went rather quickly, and Darcy had to admit she enjoyed it a lot. Both Pepper and Natasha were people she knew she could become good friends with and it helped that they were all going to be living in Avenger's tower together. She was glad to know she wouldn't have to meet everyone else without someone she knew around. She had a feeling both women would have her back when it came time for introductions.

When lunch was over she said her good-byes to her new friends as well as Thor and headed back to her office. She was determined to finish this bit of paper work before the end of the day. She wanted to make a good impression not just with her boss but also with her boss's boss. She was worried about this job this morning but now she was determined to make the best of it. To prove she could do this not just to her co-workers, but to herself. She remembered, once, hearing this quote by an actor, she thought his name was Jeremy Renner or something like that, but he said that he always lived his life through fear. If he was afraid to do something then he would do it only so he wouldn't be afraid of it anymore. Well this morning, listening to Coulson during the briefing, she was scared, but she knew she had to do this.

So she didn't have super-secret agent training. She didn't need it. She was her own kind of strong and she was going to succeed, no matter. She could do this, and no amount of doubt or ridicule from the outside world would change that fact.

Now if only she could read chicken scratch.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it. Chapter 2. Yay!

This chapter, I will admit, was a bit boring; it was more in the way of plot than anything else. I've got some Darcy/Clint action coming your way in the next chapter. Just a little clarification as well in the last chapter the word _eidetic_was auto corrected to Identic, mainly because I misspelled it to begin with. I would like to point out that it is indeed supposed to be Eidetic referring to photographic memory. In Darcy's case it refers to her ability to remember anything she has read. If you have ever seen the show Criminal Minds it is an ability also held by Dr. Reed.

I hope you enjoyed it and as always, feedback is welcome and appreciated.

-Later Days!


	3. Just The First Encounters

Just Darcy

Chapter 3: Just The First Encounters

* * *

Darcy sighed as her alarm sounded the next morning. She had already been awake when the clock struck seven, her nerves getting the better of her. She was so ready to start the second day of her new career and the anxiousness of beginning the day had made sure she was awake an hour earlier than necessary. Despite that however she wasn't tired and was up and in the shower the second the alarm went off. As the warm water rushed over her, she couldn't help but recount the last twenty four hours. Despite her nervousness she managed to get through the day rather well. Coulson had been true to his word-not that she expected any different- and was back in the office by 4:00. He asked about her lunch and if she found her way around and was pleased to hear that she was already sitting pretty with one of his top agents and another house mate.

After that, work went quickly and she happily dropped her completed reports on Coulson's desk ten minutes before five o'clock. He looked impressed by her progress and she was more than happy to pat herself on the back when she got back to her desk. When the clock finally struck five, she followed Coulson out of the office and back the way she'd come at the beginning of the day, ending their journey in the parking garage. They climbed into yet another non-descript black sedan and pulled out of the parking garage. The drive back to Avenger's tower wasn't as bad as she thought it would be given it was a peak rush hour, hour, so when they pulled into the underground garage beneath the tower she was caught a bit off guard.

Coulson then led her up into the tower and toward the resident levels. He led her from the elevator to a door at the end of the hall. From what she could tell there were only two doors on this floor. Seeming to sense the direction of her train of thought, Coulson proceeded to tell her that each resident floor had too apartments and every Avenger and long term personnel had their own fully stocked apartment-with the exception of Pepper and Tony who shared the penthouse- complete with living room, kitchen, bedroom, office, and full bath. Also, to promote more of a team atmosphere they had dinner together every day sometimes take out sometimes they would take turns cooking, whatever the case she should not feel obligated to be there every day but it would be nice if she did whenever she could. Dinner was always at 7. Then he said; "I apologize in advance for anything that may occur on this floor." before she could ask why he led her into her apartment and she immediately shut up.

She took back everything she said that morning; she was so NOT going to miss her dinky little studio apartment in Connecticut. It was obvious the minute she took in the sheer size of the main room as to why there were only two apartments per floor-there damn well wasn't room for any more than that- and it was so elegantly decorated, Pepper had to be the one to do that cause she just couldn't picture Tony Stark going any direction but techy modern. All of that however, paled in comparison to the view, a perfect un-obscured view of the New York skyline. She was pretty sure that even if she ended up failing miserably at this job she would never regret taking it because of this apartment.

Once she had everything she needed, keys, passcodes, and introduction to Jarvis, Coulson left her to her own devices. She was about to take a little tour around her new home when a knock sounded at the door. She answered it, coming face to face with the shit eating grin of Tony Stark and the slightly annoyed look on Pepper Potts. The older woman mouthed something along the lines of "I'm sorry" over Starks shoulder before he pushed his way into her apartment. Pepper put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she followed said billionaire. Darcy just smiled at her and closed the door. Tony turned to her after looking around at the boxes, his grin not as wide but still present.

"Just wanted to make sure you're settling in well." He told her. She held in her laughter as Pepper rolled her eyes. Tony seemed to notice and looked over at Pepper. "What I'm serious." He said. She shook her head at him.

"More like you're looking for an excuse to brag about your tower again." She replied accusingly. He looked at her with feigned insult.

"I resent that remark. I am only concerned in making sure that our newest resident is comfortable in her new home. Your insinuation that my motives are anything less than honorable is rather insulting." He huffed at her. Pepper just looked at him incredulously, rolling her eyes. Darcy turned to her.

"Your right, he could operate his own hot air balloon." Darcy said smiling widely as Pepper burst into laughter. Tony scowled mumbling something about feisty assistants and no respect in his own home. That just made them laugh harder.

After that they only stayed just long enough to get Tony to stop pouting and for her to make plans to have lunch with Pepper again on Friday. Once they were gone she finally took the tour of her apartment and she was thoroughly impressed by what she saw. She was definitely going to be comfortable here. The rest of night went quickly as she kept herself busy with unpacking and organizing everything. She'd always been efficient, thanks to her mother drilling it into her since childhood whenever she could be bothered to be there, but even she was impressed by how quickly she was getting everything she set out to do done today.

By the time she was done with everything it was about ten o'clock and she could no longer ignore the growling in her stomach. Maybe she shouldn't have opted to miss dinner. She had just entered the kitchen when a knock sounded at her door yet again. A bit confused as to why anyone would be here so late she answered coming face to face with Jane, Thor, Dr. Selvig, and a middlge-aged man she didn't know but who seemed familiar.

"Hi guys." She greeted stepping aside to let them in. They greeted her in return before Jane turned to her and introduced the third man as Dr. Bruce Banner a.k.a the Hulk. She was surprised to hear that this demure man could be that big green beast that broke Harlem a few years back but hey, who was she to judge. Once the introductions were made, Jane told her that she, Selvig, Thor and Dr. Banner were all too busy to go down to dinner, and were told that she hadn't shown up either so they were wondering if she would like to accompany them out to eat. She agreed and they were off to some family owned Chinese place down the street.

Dinner was awesome, and she knew she found a new favorite Chinese place especially when the owner-a little old man who kind of reminded her of Mr. Myogi- came over and started complimenting her and Jane and joking with everyone at the table. On top of that she had an amazing conversation with Dr. Banner, whom she was very pleased to find out, was very grounded and sweet. He would be a total catch if he was any kind of interested in romance. And of course she had the chance to catch up with Jane, and Eric. She missed them so much, and it warmed her heart to hear Eric start doting on her like a proud father. She didn't have one of her own, something Eric was well aware of and Darcy was sure that was why he usually acted that way. By the time they left the restaurant it was a bit past midnight, and way passed her bed time.

She laid down for bed that night, relaxed and exhausted. It was obvious the day was catching up with her. Despite her willingness to fall into dream land, she was still having difficulty letting all her thoughts go. As she laid there trying to calm the storm of her mind a soothing acoustic sound caught her attention. She listened closely, trying to figure out where it was coming from. She soon realized it was floating in through the air vents. She vaguely remembered hearing someone mention that each room, on each floor was connected by air ducts for emergencies. She listened to the guitar focusing on each note until all she could think about was the tune. Slowly, she began to drift off, finding comfort in the plucking sound of the strings and falling into dreamland.

Darcy stepped out of the shower, drying off and setting to work on her hair and face. To be honest it was the most relaxing sleep she had ever had. That is until around six when her excitement woke her up. She was really looking forward to whatever work Coulson had planned for her today and after all the people she met and how well she got along with everyone yesterday she felt she was so ready to start coordinating with people. Darcy was confident; if she could make friends with the man behind The Hulk she could get to know anyone.

The question was, however, as she stood in her walk in closet, was she sexy confident, or sensible confident. She asked herself this over and over for twenty minutes as she looked over a black pants suit in comparison to a tight knee length business skirt. Eventually she settled on the skirt. The weather was only going to be skirt worthy for so much longer, might as well live it up. She slipped it on with a simple white long sleeved button up blouse and knee high black stiletto boots. The outfit along with her simple eye liner and soft long curls made for quite the look. She winked at herself in the mirror before making her way out into the kitchen and treating herself to her favorite pop tarts. When she was done, she grabbed everything she would need for the day and headed out the door.

Darcy stepped into the elevator just as she heard the door at the other end of the hall open. She ignored it however as the elevator door began to slide shut. Suddenly without warning an arm stuck through the almost closed doors, startling her. The doors slid back open revealing a tall, well-built middle aged man with spiky, dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a skin tight muscle shirt and sweat pants, she had to force herself not to drool. Her surprise turned to a scowl as she watched him look her up and down openly before stepping onto the elevator and turning to face the doors, leaning back against the back wall next to her. The doors closed and they began their decent toward the basement levels. She could practically feel his smirk as he turned toward her after a few minutes.

"You must be Coulson's new second." He began his smirk firmly in place. She turned slightly to look at him as he extended his hand. "Clint Barton." He told her. She accepted his extended hand with a light smile. "Welcome to the team." He continued, pulling his hand back.

"Thank you." She replied. "I'm Darcy Lewis by the way." She added, his smirk widened as he looked her over again. Now usually, Darcy always felt kind of dirty when a guy she was talking to so openly ogled her but for some reason she was not against his icy blue eyes doing exactly that. _"No, bad Darcy."_ She internally reprimanded herself. Before either could say anything else the elevator doors opened on Clint's floor. His smirk widened as he made his way off the elevator his eyes lingering on her. "See you around Darcy Lewis." He called over his shoulder as the elevator doors closed and continued down to the garage. When she was alone again she let out a deep breath. "What the hell was that?"

* * *

"Well Miss Lewis you've survived day two." Coulson said as he stopped in front of her desk. She looked up from her computer and smiled brightly. "How does my schedule look for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Well, sir, you have a breakfast meeting with Miss Potts at 9 am, at 11am you have a conference call with the head of naval intelligence, and then after lunch your schedule is clear until 3pm when the Director has requested you observe an interrogation on the Helicarrier." Darcy spouted off by heart. Coulson nodded.

"Not too bad, but, since I'll be busy most of the morning that will leave you with supervising Spider-man and his team during training." He explained. She looked at him wide eyed.

"Um, with all due respect sir how am I supposed to supervise a training session, the extent of my knowledge is basic self-defense I learned when I was thirteen and the only reason my mom made me learn was because of a poorly placed joke." She told him. He looked curious at the last part of what she said but he shook his head and began to clarify.

"You won't be teaching them, just making sure their all alright and working together well. I trust your judgment and observation skills enough to know that if something seems off about him and his team you will make note of it and let me know." Coulson explained. "Captain America will be holding the training session." He continued. Darcy could have been mistaken but she was sure she heard a bit of fond giddiness in his voice at the mention of the superhero.

"Well that makes more sense." She laughed lightly at her own stupidity. Coulson nodded in understanding.

"I'll email you the details tonight." He looked down at his watch. "Are you planning on staying here a bit longer?"

"Yes, I have a few things to finish up and it'll bug me all night if I don't finish." She explained.

"Well, then I will see you tomorrow morning, or possibly dinner whichever comes first . Don't work yourself too hard." He continued on his way out.

Darcy sighed as she stood from her desk and headed out to the small break room across the hall. She quickly fixed herself a cup of coffee and then moved to return to her desk, starring at her feet and completely spaced out as she went. As she reentered her office she went face first into a strong, solid chest spilling her coffee down her shirt. She gasped in surprise jumping back.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry." She said frantically looking down at the mess between them. She heard a deep, masculine sigh above her, and she looked up blue meeting blue. "I'm really, really sorry Agent Barton." She continued.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." He told her. She shook her head.

"No, it's so not. I'm such a klutz." Darcy replied grabbing his arm and pulling him into the break room and toward the sink. She didn't notice his smirk at her antics. She stopped in front of the sink and pulled a few paper towels off the roll wetting them and then turning back to him. Before she could even try to clean his shirt he caught her wrist halting her actions. She looked up at him confused to find him practically laughing at her.

"I really appreciate your concern, Darcy Lewis, but I think you should be more concerned with your own shirt." He told her. She looked down finally noticing the long, large brown stain down the front of her front that unfortunately made her shirt very transparent. And seeing as how she decided to be sexy confident today she wore a white lacy bra and no undershirt.

"Shit." She mumbled, putting the wet paper towel to her own shirt. "Son of a …" she cut herself off as she sighed harshly. She looked up at Clint and scowled at the humor in his eyes, he didn't seem at all embarrassed at the fact that she caught him staring at her chest. It seemed he was enjoying her little predicament.

"Well at least it's the end of the day." He said trying not to laugh. She rolled her eyes.

"For you maybe. I still have at least an hour's worth of work left." She retorted a bit harshly. "And even if I didn't I'm sure I'll make a lovely picture to all the late night agents."

"You don't have a jacket or anything?" he asked. She shook her head 'no'. Clint stepped back and removed the leather jacket he was wearing. He wrapped it around her shoulders, shooting her a croaked smile.

"Um, thanks, you don't have too though." She tried to defend but he cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. We live on the same floor it's not like I won't ever see you again." He told her amused. She smiled lightly looking away. She looked back up a second later.

"Thank you." She finally said and he nodded. A weird sort of silence fell between them as they shift uncomfortably around each other.

"So, um, I'm going to assume Coulson already left." Clint finally said scratching the back of his head.

"Um, yes, he did, about twenty minutes ago." She replied looking everywhere but his face. Clint opened his mouth to say something else only to close it as another voice sounded behind them.

"Agent Lewis, you're still here." Kevin McDowell stated behind them. Clint looked back at the younger agent. "And agent Barton, sir, good evening." He continued taken back by the senior agent's presence.

"Agent McDowell." Darcy replied in return as she stepped out from behind Clint. She scowled as she watched his eyes immediately gravitate towards her chest. She huffed in annoyance as she pulled Clint's leather jacket around her. Kevin diverted his eyes back to her face, seeming actually confused as to why she looked upset. He looked between the two agents. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No." they replied in unison. He looked suspicious but shook it off turning back to Darcy.

"Ok then." He murmured. Silence fell throughout the room and before long Darcy made the decision to leave. She walked out of the break room and headed back into her office. She looked down at her shirt and hefted a deep sigh. She slid her arms in the sleeves of Clint's jacket and then moved to sit at her desk. Within the next few minutes she heard someone leave the break room across the hall before becoming vaguely aware that someone was standing in the door way of her office. She looked up from her computer to see Kevin.

"Hello." She greeted. He smiled at her.

"Hi." He replied. "So, um, listen…I was thinking maybe sometime we could, you know, go for coffee, or maybe some dinner sometime." He continued. She looked at him a bit stunned. A second ago he was staring at her chest and now was asking her out as if she hadn't caught him.

"In what capacity?" she asked. He looked taken back by her response. Clearly he was not expecting it.

"Well, like a date. You know those intimate little occasions' people go out on in order to get to know each other better." He explained trying his damnedest to be cute. She smiled at him a little guiltily.

"I'm sorry, but no." she replied. To his credit he did a decent job keeping the disappointment off his face. "I don't date co-workers." She continued.

"Oh," he retorted nodding. "Well, ok then. Can't say I didn't try." He added. She smiled sadly at him nodding in agreement. "Well, I'll see you around then. Don't work too hard." He added tapping the door frame and slinking away.

Darcy sighed. That would probably come back to bite her.

* * *

"You're distracted." It was a statement, an observation, not a question nor was it open for debate. Clint never let his eye stray from the target at the far end of the field. He honed in on the bulls eye, before letting the string go and watching the arrow fly free. It hit dead center followed in quick succession by another and another. He let out a calm breath turning and walking to the arms table behind him. He ignored Natasha, who was perched on the table. "You've been like this all day." She added in her usual level tone.

"I'm fine." He replied simply as he disassembled his bow with practiced ease.

"You're lying." Natasha stated. Clint sighed.

"It's not a big deal, don't worry about it Tasha." He told her packing up his bow and heading for the range's exit. He could feel her eyes on him as he walked away but she didn't move to follow him. That was one of the things he liked about his old friend. She always knew when he needed space, even when he didn't know. To be honest he really didn't know what was wrong with him. He could pin point when his distraction had started, right after he'd seen her on the elevator. Probationary officer Darcy Lewis.

Clint could understand, at least a little bit, why he was distracted this morning-even though he was disappointed in himself for it- but now, not so much. When he had first seen the new agent he was smitten with her. She was gorgeous in his opinion. Soft blue eyes, bright full lips, and face framed with silky auburn hair. And that body, my god that body. You could stop a man's heart with that full chest, petite waist and firm round ass. It took every ounce of his extensive military and secret agent training not to whistle at her. The last thing he needed was to find out she told Coulson he did something like that and then spend the next three months training newbies. He'd already been warned to behave himself before she even got here and now he knew why. It really didn't help keep his thoughts in line during his sparring training with Steve and Natasha when he thought about the fact that she was looking him over too.

But that was this morning, and by lunch his thoughts of her had faded enough that he had forgotten about her. That is until this afternoon when he went to see Coulson at HQ only to run into said brunette, quite literally. It definitely did not help that he could see through her shirt and she most certainly did not appreciate being ogled if her reaction to…- Agent McDougal? McDonald?- was any indication. He had to admit she was kind of cute when she was flustered. And when she started pouting all he really wanted to do was hug her. Something he most certainly did not consider a normal impulse for himself. He was seriously considering asking her out sometime that is until Agent what's- his- face came in and started starring at her chest. He was suddenly very thankful he'd thought to give her his jacket. He could see as she left that the other agent was very much interested in her.

Clint sighed as he entered his apartment, setting his bow back in his hidden weapons cash in the false wall of the living room. He heard McDumbass ask her out, but he didn't stay long enough to hear her answer and he really wished he had. Which was ridiculous on so many levels, that of which included the fact that he barely knew this girl other than what he could observe about her. And yet here he was, jealous that someone else had beaten him to her. He hated loosing, but did he really loose? Honestly he hadn't even settled on whether or not he was even going to ask her out.

Clint sighed harshly as he stepped out of the shower. This was absolutely ridiculous. He was a highly trained soldier, the best sniper in the world and yet he was thinking about some girl like a love struck teenager. Then again he wasn't much of teenager when he was a teenager. Maybe this was his body's way of making up for it. If so he seriously need to cut it out because it was painfully obvious that he wouldn't just be interested in her as a one night stand.

Clint finished running a towel through his hair as a knock sounded at his door. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist before heading out into the main room. He answered the door only to stop short as said girl was revealed to him. He starred at her, taken back by her presence. She had changed since he had last seen her, this time into a pair of tight ripped blue jeans and a purple camisole tank top, that did as little to keep her modest as the coffee on her shirt earlier. Her hair was pulled up into a high pony tail leaving her neck bare to him. _"Shit! Bad thoughts!" _he screamed internally.

"Hi." She greeted when he didn't say anything. He snapped out of his thoughts clearing his throat.

"Uh, hi." He replied. _"Smooth Barton, real smooth."_ He watched as she shifted nervously on her feet, if he didn't know any better he'd think she was having trouble keeping her eyes on his face. He suddenly became blatantly aware that he was buck ass nude with only a towel between him and utter embarrassment. He cleared his throat again feeling uncharacteristically bashful.

"Um, here." Darcy finally said thrusting her arm in front of her and holding his jacket out to him. "Thanks again." She continued as he reached for it. "I really appreciate it; it came in handy for sure." She said smiling sweetly at him. He smirked back reaching out to take his jacket back.

"I'm glad I could help." He replied leaning against the door frame. His smirk widened when he noticed a light pink stain her cheeks as his muscles shifted with his movement. They stood there in silence, Darcy suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. Finally she took a deep breath and then looked back up.

"Well, um, ok then, I um, I'm going to, uh head down to diner so….I'll see you, um, later." She stumbled through as she backed away. Clint smirked as he watched her.

"Oh hey then, I'm headed down there in a few. Do you maybe want to come in and wait, and I'll walk down with you?" he suggested, cutting off her retreat. She opened her mouth to give some excuse as to why she couldn't wait, but nothing came out. _"Come on Darcy say something."_

"Um….ok." she said, mentally smacking herself.

Clint lifted off the frame, moving back inside the apartment. He left the door open as an invitation to her. Hesitantly she walked toward the open door, stepping into the apartment. She closed the door behind her, looking around as she did. Clint's apartment was a mirror image of hers, the only difference being the inherent clutter in his. A few picture frames-three to be exact- on a table to her left caught her attention so she stopped in front of them looking at each one. The first one was a group of soldiers, army to be exact, they were all in full gear sitting in a torn down building in the middle of a desert. Clint sat in the middle of the group, they all looked worn and beaten but each and every one of them was smiling. The second one was of Clint and the Black widow sitting together in what she assumed was a training room. Neither was smiling but with what she had seen of the red headed woman the other day she really wasn't surprised. And then of course there was the last of the pictures which was a simple snap shot of all the Avengers together in what she assumed was the lobby of Stark Tower.

"Find something interesting?" Clint sounded behind her. She jumped spinning around to face him. What was he a mouse? She didn't hear him coming at all. He seemed amused at her reaction.

"You were in the army?" she questioned. He looked at her surprised.

"You didn't know that?" he asked. She shook her head 'no'.

"Why would I?" Now she was confused. He moved to the couch sitting down with his boots in his hand. He began to put them on.

"It's in my file." He told her simply. "Something tells me you haven't read my file." Darcy shook her head.

"No, the only thing Coulson gave me when I started was a list with ID photos and a brief description of everyone's titles and primary skills." She explained. Clint looked up at her from his laces confused.

"So, he threw you into this job without telling you anything about the people your partially responsible for?" Clint said turning back to finish with his boots.

"Pretty much, but I think there's a method to his madness." Darcy replied.

"Oh and what's that?" Clint stood from the couch and gestured for Darcy to head out the door.

"The way Coulson explained this whole job to me, in relation to all the heroes at least, is that he wants me to be a comforting face, you know? He doesn't want anyone to think of me as just another agent that's only here for S.H.I.E.L.D." she explained. "I'm supposed to be here for all of you guys you know. So in not giving me everyone's files, he's given me the chance to step up and get to know everyone the right way, so it doesn't seem like I'm just another faceless agent who reads a report and thinks they know everything." Clint held the elevator door while Darcy stepped on. He followed her on and pressed the appropriate floor.

"Hmp, sounds about right." Clint replied with a knowing smirk. He turned to Darcy to see the question in her eyes. "FYI there is always a method to Coulson's madness." She laughed lightly. "So, to answer your question, yes, I was in the army. I was stationed in Afghanistan for three years, back and forth." She nodded in understanding.

"The head of your platoon I assume." She added looking up at him. Clint looked down at her impressed.

"Now how would you know that?" he asked good-naturedly.

"Everyone was sitting around you. Soldiers are trained to protect their superior officers and vice versa." She explained. She could see surprise cross his face as she finished. She back tracked quickly. "My mom's military." She clarified.

"Really?" he asked shocked. She nodded.

Before either could say anything else the elevator doors opened catching Coulson and Pepper on the other side.

"I see you two have finally met." Coulson said simply as they stepped off the lift.

"Yes sir." Darcy replied smiling sweetly. He nodded in reply, before looking over at Clint suspiciously. Darcy looked between the two men confused until Pepper caught her attention.

"So, how has work been going?" she asked the younger woman. Darcy smiled.

"It's been great." She replied. "I'm kind of impressed with myself." She continued laughing.

"You should be." Coulson sounded behind her. "You're doing a good job." He continued. "And I'm sure tomorrow will be the same."

"What do you have planned tomorrow?" Clint asked curiously.

"I'm supervising Spider-man and his team's training session with Captain America." She explained. At some point the small group started walking while they talked.

"You can just call me Steve ma'am." They heard behind them. They turned to see said man come around the corner. He stopped among them. "You must be Miss Lewis." He said to her, shaking her hand. She smiled.

"That's me, you can call me Darcy though." She replied. He smiled in return.

"Alright, I look forward to working with you Darcy." He replied with a charming smile. If she gushed a little on the inside she didn't think anyone could blame her. She could definitely see why her grandmother thought he was the cutest thing before Tom Selleck.

"Hey, if everyone's done with the pleasantries, diners ready." Tony yelled from the dining room. Pepper rolled her eyes making Darcy laugh.

"His majesty is calling." Pepper added as they entered the room.

"I heard that!"

* * *

"Well that was interesting." Clint said pressing the button for his and Darcy's floor. "You really kept Tony on his toes." Darcy smiled brightly.

"It's either that or listen to him talk about himself the whole time." She replied. Clint smirked.

"Your way was definitely more entertaining." He added as the door opened on their floor. They stepped out of the elevator standing side by side awkwardly in a heavy silence.

"So, um, thanks for walking with me." Darcy finally said, trying not cringe at how lame she sounded. He shot her one of his croaked grins in reply. "I'll see you around then." She continued before turning on her heels and heading toward her own apartment.

Clint watched her, conflict turning over in his mind. There was something that was bothering him and despite his trepidation he felt like he needed to voice what was on his mind. Just as she reached the door he called out to her. He watched as she turned toward him as he slowly approached.

"Listen…." He hesitated as if reconsidering what he was about to say. "This is none of my business, but I overheard Agent McDowell ask you out earlier." He began. She looked at him surprised and a little embarrassed. "Like I said, it's none of my business. It's your life, but I just thought I'd tell you that I get a bad vibe from him." He told her.

Darcy held back a chuckle at the light pink stain on his cheeks. She had a feeling that wouldn't go over that well and honestly he was just trying to be a friend….she hoped. She took a deep breath. "You're right, it is none of your business." She said. He nodded, scratching the back of his head. He kind of figured she'd say that. "But, um, thank you…for, you know, your concern. I appreciate it." She continued. Clint looked back at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. She smiled lightly as she once again held back laughter. She had to admit he was cute when he was out of sorts. Perhaps she should throw him a bone. "If it makes you feel better, I said no." she finished.

"Oh," he nodded. "Well, ok, um…" he hesitated. He scratched the back of his head turning to walk away. About halfway down the hall he turned back around to find her still there. "If…if you don't mind me asking, why?" he questioned. She looked confused.

"Why what?" she asked.

"Why did you say no?" she "ohed"

"Because I don't date people I share office space with." She explained shooting a sweet smile at him before turning and walking into her apartment. Clint starred at the closed door his head spinning.

"Ah man." He whined to himself as he turned and sulked back to his room.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 3 complete. I would just like to apologize in advance, I've been writing these newer chapters on my notes app between my iphone and ipad- it's so much easier then carrying a notebook everywhere- so there may be a few typos here and there. I upload the documents to my laptop before posting then and then go through with spell check but sometimes it doesn't catch everything.

Also, in order to prevent myself from putting this story on the back burner, I have an unwritten rule in which at least three chapters need to be completed ahead of the one that is ready to be posted. So in essence this is like when a close friend borrows a book you love and is taking their time reading it, so when you want to talk to said friend about a part of the book they haven't gotten there yet. Every time I finish a chapter I think to myself I can't wait for them to read this only to realize that your all on chapter three and I'm on chapter seven….

Anyway, thanks for reading, chapter 4 will be up soon.

-Later Days


	4. Just A Little Tension

Just Darcy

Chapter 4: Just a Little Tension

* * *

Natasha sighed. "Your distracted." she said accusingly standing over Clint on the mat. His chest was heaving from exertion and sweat covered his body. She shook her head offering him a hand up. When he was on his feet they moved to the benches guzzling from their water bottles. They sat in silence for a while until Natasha spoke up again. "You wanna talk about her?" she asked. Clint looked over at her confused.

"Her?" he questioned.

"Darcy." was Natasha's only reply.

"What makes you think Agent Lewis has anything to do with this?" he asked. She looked at him incredulously. He held back a cringe. Even after all these years she still managed to intimidate him when his guard was down.

"Well seeing as how you don't usually stare at people the way you were staring at her at dinner on Tuesday, I just assumed." Natasha explained with a smirk as pink stained Clint's cheeks. He cleared his throat.

"When you put it that way..." he answered. "How bad does Coulson want to kill me?"

"His only concern is what will happen when it doesn't work out." She explained.

"When? Nice to know he has such little faith in me." He grumbled, standing up. He stretched cracking his joints before turning to Natasha.

"You don't exactly have the best track record." She finally said. He gaped.

"Are you kidding I've been in one serious relationship since joining SHIELD, and *Barbra and my split was completely mutual because she got job offer from SWORD." He defended. "So I don't see how anyone could possibly think I would ruin something like this."

"He's not worried about you having a relationship with her; he's worried about you not having a relationship." She explained matter of fact. "It's only been a week since she's started working here but he's already said she's the best assistant he's ever had. People around the office are referring to her as the Pepper Potts of SHIELD."

"What do you mean not having a relationship with her? Like a one night stand? Does he actually think I would be so crude?" A nod was his only reply. He huffed, plopping back down on the bench next to her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So, you like her." Natasha prompted after a while. Clint sighed dropping his head.

"More then I should." he replied tiredly.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, she said she doesn't date people she shares office space with." He explained.

"I won't pretend to know anything about relationships, but perhaps you should just ask her out and see what happens. Make it clear that you know about her personal policy and you thought you'd try...Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Clint looked over at her, a look of contemplation on his face. "Makes sense." He finally replied. Natasha took a deep breath before standing and grabbing her gear.

"Whatever you do, do it quick. Otherwise I'm going to have to find a new sparring partner. Maybe Steve, he doesn't let things distract him on the mat." She told him heading toward the locker room.

"Steve huh? Somehow I don't think you're all that opposed to a little one on one with Captain America." He yelled at her retreating form. She raised her arm, flipping him off as she disappeared through the door. Clint sighed when she was gone, checking his watch. He had twenty minutes to shower, change and get down to the range to train one of the newbie agents. He scowled he hated training the new agents they were more often than not full of themselves.

It was true SHIELD only wanted the best but there were thousands of people working for the agency and most were more experienced. It seemed a rarity that he'd be lucky enough to get a new agent who was willing to learn rather than show off. Clint stepped out of the shower, dried quickly and dressed in his plain black cargos and t-shirt. He threw on his boots, grabbed his gear and headed toward the indoor range three hallways down.

With a deep breath, Clint pushed his way through the doors stopping in his tracks as he caught sight of the person standing, seemingly waiting, near the weapons table. They turned too looked at him as they heard the door open, a wide smile stretching across their face.

"Hi." Darcy greeted as he walked up to her.

"Hey." He greeted in reply. "So you're my two o'clock?" He asked carefully. She nodded.

"Looks like it." She said sweetly. He gave her a half heart smile before moving to the table and depositing his gear there. "So teach, what's the lesson today?" She asked coming to stand next to him. He did his best to ignore how close she was standing next to him, her perfume surrounding him.

"Hmm, well, I was going to start with simple target practice with a standard glock nine millimeter, but Coulson mentioned earlier that you were nervous about learning to use one so, I think we'll start with something else." He explained refusing to look at her. The way her SHIELD t-shirt and tight dark jeans hugged her curves was far from lost on him when he first saw her and he really wasn't sure he could trust himself just yet.

Instead he kept his eyes on his task as he assembled one of the training bows. He could feel her eyes watch his movements intently. When he was done he picked up a pair of specialized gloves from the table and turned to her helping her put them on. He then picked up the bow and handed it to her. She took it, weighing it in her hand.

"Ok, turn around." He told her. She did as he said blushing slightly when she felt him step up behind her. He pressed in close to her back guiding her hands to hold the bow properly and moving her arms into the right positions, all the while explaining what and why. "Is that uncomfortable?" He asked. She shook her head 'no' unable to find words. "Good." He said. "Now try and pull back, make sure the tension isn't too heavy." She did, finding it difficult but not impossible. "Ok, good." He said stepping back. She forced herself not to sigh in relief. "Step up to the line." He finally said gesturing toward the booth where he had set a quiver of arrows.

When she was standing where he told her he drew an arrow and handed it to her moving to resume his place behind her. Her blush returned as he pressed against her back. She swallowed hard trying to focus on the task at hand.

Clint showed her how to notch the arrow before guiding her back into the proper position. She lined her shot and after a moment let the arrow loose watching as it embedded itself into the outer circle of the target. She smiled.

"Oh my god, I hit It." she said happily. Clint chuckled, an action that was enhanced by the fact that he was still pressed against her back. She felt the deep rumble against her shaking her to her core.

"Good job." he said before handing her another arrow. They repeated the process a few more time until Clint stepped away. She couldn't help the mixture of disappointment and relief that shot through her. "Now try on your own." he told her. She nodded and drew an arrow, getting into position. She was very much aware of his eyes on her as she prepared. She took a deep breath forcing herself to relax before letting loose the arrow. She hit the target a little closer to the center then she had been before. "Not bad, keep going." Clint told her when she turned to him with a proud smile. She turned back around and continued.

Clint watched her intently the entire time, scrutinizing every move. Coulson was right, she was a quick study.

Clint watched as she drew back the draw string, her body taught with tension as she fought against the pressure of the bow. He was ashamed by his leering but he could help it when his eyes traveled the column of her exposed neck, traveling slowly intently down the curve of her back, tracing the swell of her hips and moving down her lean calves, provoking a stirring in his pants.

"Shit." he scolded himself. "Quit starring." he scowled. His hormones were going to be the death of him. How could he possibly be so attracted to this woman, whom he'd known for less than a week? It just wasn't natural. He should have more control over his thoughts then this.

After a while Darcy finished off the arrows and turned to Clint. "How was that?" she asked as he move to stand next to her facing the target.

"Not bad." he told her. "Have you ever used a bow before?" she shook her head 'no'. "Well you learned pretty quickly." he continued. "You won't be taking my place anytime soon but if necessary you'll be able to defend yourself pretty well." she smiled. "Why don't we call it quits for now I'm sure Coulson is desperate to have his "Pepper Potts" back." she blushed.

"So are we still on for tonight?" she asked, handing back the bow. He looked at her confused.

"Tonight?" he questioned. She nodded.

"Yea, you know cheesy sci-fi movie marathon on TV tonight. We were going to order Chinese and make fun of the horrible graphics and stereotypical plot." she explained.

Clint hesitated remembering their conversation the other day. In all honesty it was burned into his brain. He remembered coming back late Wednesday night after a mission feeling beaten to a near pulp and completely exhausted.

He remember getting to his apartment only to hear the door down the hall open and hear her voice call out to him. He vividly remembered the look of worry on her face at all the cuts and bruises on his body. He had brushed off the medical guys on the Helicarrier but when she offered to help him he couldn't bring himself to say no.

The rest of the night consisted of a couple of beers, a bit of complaining as she practically drowned him in antiseptic and bandages, and a very detailed discussion of movie genres. The next morning he woke up on her couch, covered by the fuzzy fleece batman blanket he usually saw draped over the back of the couch.

Darcy was doing her best to tip toe around the kitchen, making coffee and pop tarts for two. He laughed at her attempt while accepting a cup of coffee and a chocolate pop tart. They had a great morning and somewhere along the way she mentioned the movie marathon on the Sy-fy channel suggesting they make a night of it if he was interested.

"Oh yea, of course." He replied. "Seven right?" He asked she nodded. "Alright, looking forward to it." He continued. If she blushed he didn't to notice.

"Great, then I'll see you tonight." She told him grabbing her things and heading out.

Clint watched her leave sighing when she was gone...he was so screwed.

* * *

"I'm screwed." Clint groaned as he dropped into one of the seats at the island in the shared kitchen. Natasha never looked up from the fruit she was cutting as she answered.

"Training with Darcy didn't go well I take it." Clint looked up at her suspiciously.

"You knew she was my trainee?" He asked. "Why didn't you tell me?" Once again she never looked at him.

"Frankly I find this a lot more entertaining." Was her only reply earning a snort of amusement from Pepper who until then was sitting silently on the stool next to Clint working on her tablet. He looked over at her with a scowl.

"I take it you are apprised of the situation." Clint said.

"Indeed." She replied amused sipping her coffee. He sighed harshly.

"Quit being dramatic, Barton." Natasha scolded playfully. He glared at her. "I thought you had already decided on what to do." She continued ignoring his expression.

"So did I." he told her. "But saying and doing are two totally different things." he continued. "Every time I open my mouth to say something, my mouth gets all dry, and nothing will come out. I end up saying stupid stuff." Clint said. He caught Pepper looking at him from the corner and turned to find her grinning at him. "What?"

"You're really serious about her." he looked at her skeptically. "Dry mouth, unable to speak, and your nervous which can only mean you're really serious about her." Pepper explained. He shook his head.

"I like her, but I don't know about all that." Clint replied. Pepper shook her head.

"Trust me, I'm unusually qualified in this department." she continued.

"Oh, how so?" Natasha asked curious and amused.

"Well, I've worked for Tony for twelve years. Ten of those years we danced around our feelings so much we could have held our own prom every time we were in the same room." Pepper explained. "Trust me, it will be a lot easier if you suck it up and talk to her."

"Yea, but that whole situation accounts for both sides feeling the same way." Clint retorted. Pepper and Natasha shared a look before turning back to Clint.

"Oh you poor, clueless man." Pepper said shaking her head. Clint looked between the two women taken back.

"What?" he asked nervously. It was well known that these two women were dangerous on their own but together they were deadly. He really should talk to Tony about limiting their time together when they had time off. Although he did always tell Natasha she needed more female friends... Or friends in general for that matter.

"I'll put this as simply as I can Clint, she may not feel the same way about you, but she is most definitely attracted to you." Natasha told him matter of fact. "Talking to her could end rather well for both of you." she continued.

"But what about her rule?" Clint asked. He knew he was starting to sound whinny but he was starting to get annoyed with the way he was acting. He was a highly skilled sniper stuff like this shouldn't affect him so much. Or at least nothing had since Barbra left.

"What rule?" Pepper asked. Natasha turned to her.

"You remember what she said at lunch about dating in the office." she said. Pepper 'Ohed'.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Pepper told him simply. Clint looked at her confused.

"Why?" he asked. Pepper smirked as she finished off her coffee and gather up her things.

"Because, Agent Barton, I had the exact same rule at one point." she told him. "If she really cares, she'll take the chance. You need to give her the option to change her mind. Trust me, rules like that are good, but if you legitimately care or even love someone they just get in the way." as if on cue Tony walked in looking around at the three friends who were starting at him.

"Not that I don't always enjoy the attention, but why is everyone staring at me?" he asked in his usual manner. Pepper smiled walking up at him. She pecked him on the lips before taking him by the hand and leading him back out.

"Come on Anthony, you have a 'meeting'." She told him as they disappeared through the door.

When they were gone Clint turned to Natasha. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Your messy, you eat like an animal, you snore and you have a serious crush on your boss's assistant." Natasha replied finishing what she was doing with the fruit and putting it in a bowl. He glared at her. "Now suck it up and ask her out before I do it for you and I promise if I have to do it it won't in the least bit be flattering for you." she finished walking out of the kitchen.

Clint sighed dropping his head on the counter. "With friends like these who needs enemies."

* * *

He stopped outside Darcy's door, hesitating.

Clint sighed; he seemed to be doing that a lot in the last week. Ever since he laid eyes on the one and only Darcy Lewis. He didn't know how many times he could say there was something wrong with him before someone actually believed him and committed him to some mental institution. It was frustrating this hold she had on him, the affect. And the worst part was she had no idea she was having any kind of effect on him. It would be a lot easier to get through this if she knew and was just playing him.

He cut that line of thought off quickly. The last thing he needed was to make himself crazy thinking like that. Clint raised his hand ready to knock on the door, but before he could the door opened surprising him. She smiled at him, not noticing his shock.

"Hey you're just in time." She told him stepping aside to let him in. He stepped in, waiting for her to shut the door before following her into the living room. The big screen TV was already on, set to the right channel. On the table she had set out an amazing looking spread, boxes of Chinese food, a giant bowl of popcorn, along with boxes of movie candy, and a six pack of beer.

"I guess we won't need this." He said holding up a giant sized bag of chips. She smiled widely.

"Are you kidding? There's always room for chips." She replied taking the bag from him. She walked back to the kitchen pulling out a large snack bowl and pouring some of the bag's contents into it.

"Make yourself at home." She told him amused when she looked up only to find him still standing awkwardly by the end of the sofa. He looked over said sofa, taking note of all the extra-large blankets and fluffy pillows scattered around the couch. He sat down and grabbed a beer just as she came around the couch, setting the bowl of chips down with the rest of the food.

"Lot of food." He stated looking over the spread again. Darcy smiled grabbing one of the cartons of take out and a pair of chop sticks.

"You can never have too much food." She told him, opening the carton and digging in. He watched, a lopsided smirk unwittingly gracing his features. She looked over at him, her mouth full of food, blushing. "What?" She garbled, trying not to sound as piggish as she most likely looked. He chuckled at her embarrassment shaking his head.

"Nothing I'm just not used to hearing that from a woman." He told her grabbing a carton for himself. "Even Tasha watches what she eats. The most I've ever seen her splurge is ice cream with Pepper every other Saturday." Darcy smiled shyly.

"I guess I've just never really seen the need to count calories or anything. I love food. Why should I be afraid to show it?" She told him. He smirked at her. He could tell she was embarrassed.

"That's refreshing actually." He told her simply. She blushed, suddenly finding the commercial on the TV very interesting. He chuckled, turning back to his food. With all the worrying he'd been doing the last few days it was funny that now he was suddenly relaxing.

"Awesome, snakehead terror." Darcy said as the first movie began. "This is one of my favorites." She told him. He laughed.

"Why's that?" He asked amused.

"Because it actually happened." She replied energetically. He watched her like she was crazy. "Ok well maybe not exactly but it did happen. *Some idiot released a few live Snakehead fish into the Potomac River after their restaurant closed down and they almost completely decimated the ecosystem of Virginia." She smiled widely at him.

"Admit it, there's a little evil in you." He replied warily taking a drink of his beer.

"Muwahahaha." She joked in reply. Clint snorted his beer at her unexpected reply, sending Darcy into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

"Wow." He said as he cleaned himself up. "You are a nerd." He continued.

"Damn right!" She stated proudly. "You got a problem with that Barton?" She questioned. He smirked at her.

"Not even a little bit." He told her matter of fact, leaning back in his seat cockily. If he made her blush anymore her head was probably going to explode.

The rest of the evening went well-he was happy to say- and at some point she moved closer to him. It was at that point that he relaxed the most. She seemed all too happy to get close to him- which boded well for him- and he was all too willing to let her. By the end of the night, Darcy had managed to curl herself up to his side, his arm slung around her while she rested her head on his shoulder.

The marathon was over but he was more than content to just sit there with her, huddled together and enjoying the others presence. Unfortunately as he looked at the clock he was reminded that he had a ridiculously early day and going to bed early so he could get at least a couple hours of sleep was probably a better idea.

Clint sighed drawing Darcy's attention. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Yea," he replied dejected. "I have an early morning." He wouldn't lie, the pout on her face definitely made him happy.

"Oh, ok." She answered softly. It was obvious she was disappointed. It was nice to know the feeling was mutual, especially when she removed herself from his side taking the warmth with her. Reluctantly he stood up; grabbing the shoes he'd kicked off earlier in the night. "So, um, I had a lot of fun tonight." She finally told him as he slipped his shoes on. He grinned lopsided at her.

"Me too." He replied simply. She smiled sweetly at him, and it was at that moment that he made e decision. He had to ask her. "Listen," he began his mood suddenly heavier. She watched him concerned, worrying her bottom lip. "I like you, a lot, more than anyone might think possible in just a week." He paused taking a breath. He was absolutely not the kind of guy who went around with his emotions on his sleeve and sucked when it came to words, he was more of an actions kind of guy, but he was willing to try if she was willing to be patient. "I know you have this rule about dating people you work with, but I was hoping that you may consider making an exception, for me." He watched her, growing nervous by the dejected look on her face. Panic set in and he did the only thing he could think of. "Like I said I know about your rule but I was thinking that this could be like a test and you know we go out and if you decide that you don't want to invest your time in...well me...we can just let it go and be friends, and...stuff."

The nervousness didn't subside as he watched her fidget. He tensed up waiting for her reply. "I guess...I guess I didn't make myself all that clear." She finally answered, looking down at her hands. Whatever he was expecting her to say it wasn't that.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you." Clint told her shoving his hands in his pockets. He starred down at the ground suddenly finding the carpet really interesting. A breathy laugh left her, surprising him into looking back up her. He watched as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before looking up at him nervously.

"I...kinda thought..." She took a deep breath calming whatever nerves were keeping her from getting her point across. "I thought that, that was what this was." She finally managed worrying her bottom lip. Clint starred at her wide eyed, not really sure if he had heard her correctly.

"What?" He forced out.

"Well... I mean...Natasha and Pepper said that I should ask you out cause they knew that I liked you and stuff, so I thought that tonight would be good, you know, subtle...apparently too subtle. I'm not really good at stuff like this...at all. Um, I'm just rambling at this point so feel free to jump in at any time."

Clint shifted on his feet, a look of udder disbelief on his face. This whole night was a date...their first date at that. She had asked him out and he hadn't even realized it.

"Let's try this again." He finally replied taking his hands out of his pockets and standing up tall. "I had a great time tonight. Would you like to go out again, say tomorrow...nice dinner, and walk around town kinda thing?" He asked feeling lighter when a smile broke across her face.

"I would love too." She told him.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow then." He continued before bidding her goodbye and heading for the door.

"Um...Clint." She called out to him. He opened the door. He turned to face her watching as she walked up to him. Without warning she leaned up pecking him on the cheek and smiling shyly. "I really did have a great time tonight. Whether or not it can be considered a date." He smiled lopsided at her pulling her into a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He told her smirking.

"Looking forward to it."

Clint stepped out into the hallway closing the door behind him. He hadn't smiled like an idiot in years, but damn did she make him love to do it again. Of course the minute what she said crossed his mind, the little tid bit of their conversation that told him he need to pay a little visit to Natasha and Pepper.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 4 complete. Lots of stuff coming up. Hope you stay tuned.

*Barbra 'Bobbi' Morse A.K.A Mockingbird was Clint's fellow agent turned lover, turned wife, turned Ex-Wife in the comic books.

*I was watching Monster Quest on the History channel and they were talking about Monster Fish. Snakehead Terror really is one of my favorite B class movies and apparently some idiot really did release a bunch of them into the Potomac.

-RED


	5. Just The Second Date

Just Darcy Chapter 5  
Just the Second Date

xXx

Clint found Natasha and Pepper in the communal living room with Tony, Steve, Bruce and Dachala (Black Panther). Steve was the first to notice him, greeting him accordingly as Clint stopped behind the largest sofa where Pepper sat next to Tony with Natasha on the other end. Both women turned to look at him knowing smiles on their faces.

"Hello Clint." Pepper greeted politely. "How was your evening?" She asked a little too sweetly. He laughed ironically.

"So, why didn't either of you tell me this afternoon that you told Darcy to ask me out?" He asked non-committal.

"Because, this was more fun." Natasha replied unscathed. He scowled. "Why did it go badly?

"Oh no, of course not it was great, especially when I was getting ready to leave and I made a big deal about going out on a first date tomorrow night. She looked like someone had just slapped her." He replied sarcastically.

"Hmm," Pepper began. "Maybe you should work on being less dense then." She continued earning a snort of laughter from Tony. Clint looked around the room noting Bruce and Dachala's amusement and Steve's confusion.

"Or maybe the two of you should find more productive things to do with your time other than pulling my strings for your own entertainment." He suggested matter of fact.

"Oh, you mean like running a company?" Pepper replied without missing a beat.

"Or kicking your ass in sparring matches?" Natasha followed up. Tony laughed amused. Clint looked over at him with a glare. He quickly wiped it off his face however, as an idea struck him.

"Or maybe lying to your boyfriend about the company that manufactures the chlorophyll he drinks." He added with a smirk.

"Wait what?" Tony exclaimed. Pepper froze the 'oh shit' look plain as day. "You said they discontinued that product." He continued as she turned to face him.

"They did." She told him. "Technically." She added.

"Technically?" Tony accusingly questioned. She nodded.

"Yea...for about...six months while the factory was upgraded..." She said the last part quietly but he heard her quite well. He scowled at her like a disappointed father. "I didn't have a choice that crap wreaked." She defended. His glare didn't waiver.

Meanwhile Natasha was glaring daggers at Clint daring him to say anything she deemed inappropriate. He just grinned at her. "We'll it's been fun." Clint finally said regaining their attention. He mock saluted them before turning on his heels and heading back the way he came. He smirked to himself as he stopped short of the door. "Oh, Steve." He called out half turning toward the older soldier. Steve looked up at him expectantly, completely unaware of what was about to happen. "Just thought you'd like to know, Natasha stares at your ass whenever you walk away."

Once the blush was firmly in place on Steve's face, Clint turned to look at Natasha pleasantly surprised by the blush on her own cheeks and the outrage in her eyes. He watched as the two women looked at each other a silent conversation seeming to take place. He gulped stepping back as they both looked toward him before bolting over the back of the couch and toward him.

"Shit." He cursed taking off down the hall and toward the elevator.

Tony looked to Steve, the blush still on his face. "At least you don't have to feel guilty anymore." He told the older man. Steve looked up at him with a scowl.

"Guilty?" Bruce questioned. It wasn't usually in his nature to pry into other people's lives but with the way this evening was shaping up he decided to make an exception this time around. Tony smirked looking from Bruce to Steve. He starred Steve down until he crossed his arms and slouched down in his seat uncharacteristically.

"She has a nice ass ok." He finally caved. "I'm only human!" He exclaimed. "...Technically..."

The room was silent as Tony's smirk turned into a shit eating grin, his attention returning to the TV which up until now had been completely ignored.

Somewhere off in the distance they could hear Clint screaming for mercy.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know what kind of date it is? What does that even mean?" Jane questioned as she watched Darcy drop heavily on to the couch. She sighed dramatically.

"It means I don't know what his idea of dinner and a walk around town is." Darcy explained. "Does he think of dinner as a meal at a dive diner or a fancy formal place with vintage wine and entrees you can't pronounce?"

"Somehow I don't think either of those applies." Jane replied simply. "I highly doubt he'd take you to some dive diner no matter how much you endorse them, and I don't think he's the type to put himself through the torture of trying to pronounce French appetizers." Darcy laughed the thought of him trying to decipher foreign syllables was rather humorous. She could just picture that adorable confused scowl, the crinkled brow, the set of his lips. "Darcy?" Jane called snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked to the older woman confused. "I lost you there for a second." Jane continued as a knock sounded at the door.

Darcy got up opening the door to reveal the Avenger's resident thunder god. "Good evening Darcy Lewis." He greeted happily.

"Hey big guy." Was her simple reply. He looked at her concerned.

"Tell me friend what ails you? You are usually so full of life and jest." Thor asked following her into the apartment.

"She's worried about her date." Jane told him from the couch. He looked between them.

"Do you not still wish to share a meal with him?" Darcy sighed, plopping back down in her seat.

"Of course I do. I've been looking forward to it all day...I just..." She hesitated.

"She's nervous." Jane finished for her. Thor laughed.

"Nonsense!" Thor exclaimed. "Brother Hawkeye is a good man, and a powerful warrior. Tonight will be a wondrous night for all." Jane looked to Darcy noting the way she was attempting to keep the smile on her face down. "Plus I have it on good authority that he is quite smitten with you." Darcy blushed.

"See, no worries." Jane added. Darcy sighed.

"It still doesn't change the fact that I have no idea what to wear. I don't want to over dress, or under dress and I really really really want to wow him. I mean the most he's seen me in so far is my work clothes and jeans and a t-shirt." Darcy explained. "I have to impress him. It's essential."

Jane paused thinking. "How about this. You go pick out a couple of outfits, casual and fancy and hide in the bedroom then when he gets here I'll tell him your finishing up getting ready and then come in and tell you what he's wearing and you can put on which ever outfit is most appropriate." Jane explained.

Darcy starred at her like she was crazy. "Who are you and what have you done with Jane?" she asked accusingly. Jane scowled.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't even match your socks but you can come up with this big extravagant fashion related plan in like a minute." Darcy told her. Jane scowled.

"My roommate in college used to make me do stuff like that for her." Jane explained defensively. Darcy 'ohed'. She took a deep breath.

"I should go get ready then." She told her friends slowly turning on her heels and heading for her bedroom. Jane sighed meekly after her before taking a seat next to Thor. She curled into his side sighing.

"Poor girl." Jane said softly tracing light patterns across Thor's biceps. He smiled down at her softly.

"I would not worry about Lady Darcy. She is a strong young woman, a warrior in her own way. She will figure things out in her own way, in her own time. Have faith." Thor told her. She looked up at him smiling in reply before leaning up and kissing him fully on the lips.

"You're right, she'll be ok."

Before either could say anything more a knock sounded at the door. "Oh geez." They heard pitifully from the bedroom. Jane chuckled standing from the couch and heading for the door. She opened it to reveal Clint.

"Dr. Foster." Clint said surprised. She smiled.

"Please, I told you before just Jane is fine." She laughed stepping aside to allow him entrance. He stepped in noting Thor's presence as well.

"Thor." He greeted awkwardly.

"Brother Hawkeye." Thor replied enthusiastically. Jane chuckled at the awkward face Clint made.

"I'll go check on Darcy, she should be about ready." Jane told him. He nodded in understanding as she walked toward the bedroom.

Jane entered the bedroom startling Darcy on the other side. "Well?" she questioned the older woman.

"He cleans up really nice." Jane told her. "He's wearing charcoal pants and matching jacket with a blue button up shirt and matching charcoal silk tie."

"Wow." Darcy breathed trying to imagine him in what Jane described. Jane chuckled.

"Get dressed and you won't have to imagine It." she told Darcy as if reading her thoughts. Darcy blushed walking over to the bed and grabbing her favorite little black dress. The dress itself stopped a little ways above her knee and fitted her form perfectly accentuating every curve and swell.

The sleeves were long and fit while the collar was modest. On her feet she slipped a pair of black stiletto pumps. Her hair was straight and down, her make up classy.

"Ok, I'm ready... I think." Darcy told her fiddling with her hair. Jane smiled sweetly at her best friend.

"You're definitely ready." she told the younger woman opening the bedroom door and stepping aside so Darcy could lead the way. She took a deep breath before leading the charge (so to speak).

Darcy and Jane stepped into the living room to the sounds of Clint and Thor talking about their latest training simulation. The conversation continued until Clint looked up his eyes widening as they noticed Darcy.

"Whoa." he breathed as she approached a shy smile on her face.

"Hi." she replied demurely.

"Whoa." was all he replied. Jane chuckled.

"Is that all you can say?" she joked.

"Damn." he answered looking her up and down. Darcy blushed.

"You're such a word smith, Agent Barton. Well ok then." Darcy said turning toward Jane. "Thanks for the help, no sex on my couch." she told them before following a confused Clint out of the apartment.

"No sex on my couch?" Clint asked when the elevator door closed. Darcy grimaced

"I've caught them twice since I moved in making out and I have no doubt if I hadn't walked in when I did both times they'd have no problem doing it on my favorite batman blanket." she explained laughing at Clint's horror.

"I'm never gonna get that image out of my head." he gulped uneasy.

"Tell me about it." she mumbled. "I still have nightmares." he chuckled wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"We'll just have to fix that." he told her, a handsome smirk on his face. How was it this man could make her blush so much just by what he said?

The elevator opened up on the Lobby level and Clint, after offering her his arm, led Darcy out the front doors and onto the streets of upper Manhattan.

"So, where are we going?" she asked curiously. He smirked lightly looking down at her.

"It's a surprise." he told her leading her down the street. She looked up at him mocking suspicion, but all he did was continue to smirk looking ahead.

They walked five blocks from Avenger's tower, rounding a corner on the last block to come face to face with a long line of people partitioned off by velvet ropes from the rest of the side walk. Clint led her around the people leading the way to the front of the line. As they got closer she suddenly realized where they were. Deep Freeze, the hottest new restaurant in New York. The place was booked solid for the next three years. Just a side effect of being owned by a newly celebritized chef.

Darcy stayed in step with him timid and confused looking around at the obvious annoyance of those in the line. Finally they stopped in front of the bouncer at the head of the line. The man in question was built like Steve with the looks and characteristics of Nick Fury.

Darcy squeezed his arm nervously, as Clint starred the taller man down. It seemed like a life time, before grins broke out over both their faces.

"Heya Sarg." the man greeted Clint shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Donny, how ya been?" Clint returned.

"Can't complain. And this must be Darcy."

Darcy smiled shyly accepting the man's hand.

"Oh I'm sorry, Darcy this Donny Hannigan. We served together." Clint told her. She Ohed.

"You guys probably want to get in there." Donny replied pulling out a slip of paper. He wrote something on it before handing it to Clint and opening the door. "You guys enjoy, see you on the way out."

Clint led Darcy through the front door and down a hallway to a lobby where they met the hostess. Clint handed her the ticket before she led them to a small intimate table.

Darcy looked around in awe. She heard Clint chuckle drawing her attention. She could only imagine how she looked to him. "How the hell did you get reservations here? I mean it can't just be because you know the bouncer. This place is book solid through the next three almost four years."

"Impressed?" he asked cockily. She decided to ignore his tone.

"Hell yea, even Tony can't get a reservation." she replied taking everything in. "This place is amazing, I love Darla Michaels, I watch her all the time on food network." Clint looked at her surprised.

"Really? You don't seem like the type to be into that kind of thing." he told her. "Although I suppose that would make sense since yesterday you told me how much you love food." he added. She laughed.

Soon the waiter came by for their drink orders-Darcy a glass of wine while Clint went a little less fancy with beer- and then went off to retrieve everything.

"To answer your earlier question;" he began after a short silence. "I didn't have to make a reservation, I was invited. Last Sunday to be exact." he told her.

"Really? But how..." she cut herself off mid question as a thought occurred to her. She laughed to herself. "Because you served with her husband Kyle." she answered her own question.

"Guilty." he joked. She smiled shaking her head.

"Of course that's it, she always talks about him on her show." she continued looking over the menu. He too turned to his menu selecting what he wanted. The waiter returned a few minutes later depositing their drinks and then taking their dinner orders-Clint a steak and Darcy a fancy plate of homemade Mac n cheese. Clint laughs at that.

"What?" she asked confused.

"You come to a five star restaurant and order Mac n cheese?" he explained amused.

"Oh no, this is no ordinary mac n cheese. This is Darla's homemade Mac n cheese. I'm told it's the closest thing someone like me will ever get to a religious experience." he laughed. "Don't laugh, Mac n cheese is food for the soul." she told him proudly. He chuckled shaking his head.

Darcy sipped her wine before propping her head up on her hand and smirking at Clint. "So tell me, who is Clint Barton?" he laughed at her exaggerated tone and demeanor.

"Well what do you want to know?" he asked setting his beer back on the table.

"Well obviously I know you're a super hero. You served in the army and you have excellent taste in movies, but what don't I know?" she began. "Where are you from? What school did you go to? Who are you... Really?"

"First of all," he began with a laugh. "I'm not a super hero. I'm just an agent attached to the team. Second, you forgot to mention my impeccable taste in women." he winked at her, sending a blush across her cheeks. "As for the other questions; Iowa, I didn't go to school, and well that last one can be explained through a series of strategically told anecdotes." she smiled.

"Ok, well this is a start. So if you didn't go to school were you home schooled?" she asked.

"Kind of." he replied. She watched him expectantly. "I, uh, I lost my parents when I was six, my little brother was three." he paused sipping his beer. "So me and Barney, my little brother, went into the system and to be honest it sucked. We moved from foster home to foster home never staying in one place long enough to do anything." he looked up at her a little taken back by how engrossed she was in what he was saying. How sad was it that he wasn't used to anyone actually being interested in what he had to say?

"When I was thirteen and Barney was ten we ran away from our latest stop in the system."

"Where did you go?" she asked curiously. He stifled a laugh and looked her in the eye.

"I'm completely serious about this, ok?" he stated. She nodded in understanding, looking captivated. "We ran away to the circus." he finished. A wide grin broke out on her face.

"No way, you did what every kid in the world wishes they could do at one time or another. I'm so jealous. Is that where you learned archery?" she asked excitedly. He nodded.

"Yep, I was the great Hawkeye; Giving William Tell run for his money." he cringed as he said it, Darcy bursting into laughter. "Yea, yea I know, trust me I did not choose the slogan." her laughter calmed.

"So, how did all that work out for you? You know besides the mad skills." he smiled at her joke.

"It was nice actually. All the performers were close, you know, protective. They all pitched in, tried to keep me and Barn in on important facts. They taught us different skills, things we could use day to day to support ourselves and survive." Darcy smiled lightly.

"Like playing the guitar?" she asked. He looked at her surprised.

"Yea, how'd you know?" he asked.

"I heard you play, through the air vents." She explained. "My first night at the tower, I was getting ready for bed and then there it was. Acoustic music." He looked a little guilty.

"I'm sorry, did I bother you?" he asked sheepishly. She shook her head.

"Not at all, just the opposite actually. I was having trouble relaxing enough to fall asleep. You helped quite a bit." She told him. He smiled crookedly at her as silence fell between them. Darcy took a sip of her wine before speaking again.

"Why did you leave? The circus that is." he hesitated not expecting the question.

"Some complications came up between a few of us. It was just something I knew I should do." he told her. She noted his tone feeling a little guilty about asking something that he obviously wasn't thrilled to talk about.

Noting the dramatic change in the mood, Clint quickly changed the subject.

"So, what about Darcy Lewis? What makes you, you?" he asked. She smiled shyly.

"Well, um, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, by my grandparents. I went to Chilton academy."

"An academy? Fancy."Clint joked. She shrugged.

"It was ok..." she hesitated fidgeting with her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath looking up. "Ok, I think I should just get this out now." she told her. He watched her confused. "I was born...into a wealthy family. Sorry to make it sound like such a big deal but it's been a bit of a problem with a few of my dates in the past. Have you ever heard of Jared Lewis?"

"Yea, the Manufacturing tycoon right?" he replied. She nodded.

"Well, he's my grandfather." She told him simply a look of pride on her face. It was obvious her grandfather meant a great deal to her.

"So anyway, I went to Chilton Academy where if you didn't have money your beneath everyone who does."

She sounded bitter which confused Clint, knowing she was raised by Jared Lewis meant she was undoubtedly raised in the lap of luxury. Jared Lewis founded and owned one of the most successful manufacturing empires in the world. It was a well-known fact that Tony Stark considered North Star-Which was the name of Jared's flag ship company- a Stark Industries equal. Something, if you knew the self-centered man, was a big deal.

"But you grew up with money right?" he asked confused. She nodded.

"Yes, but I was always raised to believe that wealth was something you earned, not something that was handed to you. Most of the people I went to school with were fourth, fifth generation in their families. They didn't see what it took to get there, so they thought they were privileged, that they could do anything they wanted without repercussions." she explained.

They were silent for a moment while Darcy sipped her wine. "Wow," she finally began as she set her glass down. "Just call me Darcy downer." She joked. He laughed.

"Not at all." Clint told her with a smirk. She smiled a little.

Before either could say anything else the waiter returned with their food. "Oh my gawd." Darcy practically moaned as the aroma hit her. "This looks absolutely amazing." She smiled brightly at him before digging in. Clint smiled to himself watching her discreetly.

It was crazy how nervous he was all day. He really had no idea what to expect or what to think would happen. But he was pleasantly surprised to see her dressed to the nines and looking ridiculously sexy. It was no wonder she haunted his thoughts. She was beautiful in every sense of the word. Physically mentally she was perfect. And he, Clint Barton master assassin and super-agent, was completely smitten.

"Mmm." she moaned happily. "It's perfect." he chuckled around a bite of his steak.

"I'm glad you like it." He told her. The rest of dinner seemed to fly by filled with conversation, good food and great company. At some point in the evening both Darla and Kyle Michaels came over to their table and it took all of Darcy's will power not to start fan girling and embarrass Clint in front of his old friend.

An hour and two glasses of wine later, Clint led Darcy out of the restaurant, saying farewell to Donny along the way, and with an arm around her waist they walked back toward Avenger's mansion. Darcy smiled, feeling bold and laying her head on his shoulder. "That was amazing." She sighed happily. Clint smiled, his eyes looking ahead.

"I'm glad you liked it." He replied.

"Liked it, this has probably been the best date I've ever been on." She told him. He looked down at her surprised.

"You're kidding. Someone like you hasn't been on a date equal to this?"

"Someone like me?" Darcy questioned mocking suspicion. She stifled a laugh as a blush spread across his cheeks.

"Yea, you know… awesome." He told her scratching the back of his head.

"I am awesome aren't I?" She replied jokingly. Clint laughed.

"And so modest." He continued pulling her closer. She giggled.

"I try. So what's next?" She asked enthusiastically. He smirked.

"Dessert back at the tower." he told her. "Cheesecake."

"Mmm, my favorite." she told him.

As Clint and Darcy continued their journey back toward the tower Clint noticed Darcy press herself closer to his side. He could feel the shiver run through her as a light gust of wind blew through. He stopped walking and unhooked his arm from her waist. She looked at him confused as he slid his jacket off. A small smile graced her lips as he helped her into his jacket.

"Thank you." she murmured demurely.

"You're welcome." he replied pulling her back to his side. They continued on their way content in the silence between them. That is until a thought struck Darcy.

"Hey, you said you were invited last Sunday right?" she began. Clint looked down at her surprised by the question but nodded none the less. "Well, you didn't know me then, so who were you planning on bringing to the restaurant?" he smirked a little laugh escaping him.

"Well, you know how you said Tony hasn't been able to get a reservation?" he started.

"Yea, it's been driving him nuts according to Pepper." Darcy replied. Clint's smirk widened.

"Well, I was going to take Pepper just to piss him off." He told her. Darcy broke into a fit of laughter.

"Oh my god, that would have been amazing to see." She laughed. He chuckled.

"I had actually already dropped the plan on Pepper Monday Morning and she thought it was a great idea seeing as how he had somehow pissed her off the night before, but then when she found out I was wanted to ask you out she told me I should bring you and we'll all work on a way to piss with Tony later." He explained. Darcy's laughter turned into a fit of giggles.

"I totally would have been ok with you taking her if only to watch Tony pout all night." she told him. He laughed.

"Good to know." He replied.

Suddenly a buzzing went off in the inside pocket of Clint's jacket, startling Darcy. She jumped drawing Clint's attention to her as she rummaged through his pockets. "What's wrong?" he asked standing in front of her. She finally took hold of his phone.

"Your phone went off." She told him, handing it to him. He took it, fingers secretly crossed that it wasn't a message from Director Fury calling them in for a mission. The last thing he wanted to do was cut this date short. He flipped through his inbox finally coming upon the new message.

"Hmm," he hummed to himself in thought.

"Is everything ok?" she asked concerned.

"Yea, it's just a message from Tony. Apparently he is requesting our presence on the communal floor of Avenger's tower." He explained.

"Does it say why?" she asked. He shook his head 'no'.

"Do you mind taking a detour before dessert?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"Sure, why not, we'll never hear the end of it if we don't show up." Clint chuckled slipping the phone into his pants pocket and resuming their journey toward the tower.

They made it back a few minutes later and took the elevator to the communal floor where they found everyone (i.e. Jane, Thor, Natasha, Steve, Bruce, Dachala and Coulson) with the exception of Pepper and Tony.

"Hey, welcome back." Jane greeted them, drawing everyone's attention.

"How was it? You can tell me if he didn't behave himself I'll be happy to kick him around for you." Natasha continued. Darcy laughed at Clint's scowl.

"No need, he was a perfect gentleman." Darcy replied leaning into his side. He smirked in defiance at Natasha as he slipped an arm around Darcy's waist. Natasha rolled her eyes at his blatant display.

"So does anyone actually know why we were asked here?" Clint finally said looking around the room.

"Not even a little bit." Bruce replied from beside the fireplace. The ding of the elevator drew everyone's attention out of the living room. From down the hall they could hear heels clicking loudly, as if someone were walking quickly toward them. Suddenly Pepper stepped around the corner of the hall stopping in the open doorway of the living room.

"Pepper, what's going on?" Natasha asked curiously taking note that Tony was not with her. "Where's Tony?"

"Parking the car." Pepper replied slightly out of breath, a wide smile breaking out on her face.

"Is everything ok?" Darcy asked facing the older woman with concern.

"Everything's great, better then great actually." She replied. She was practically vibrating on her feet as she held her hand up in front of her for everyone to see. Nobody missed the giant diamond set in platinum and surrounded by rubies on her ring finger.

"Oh my god, Pepper." Darcy exclaimed happily offering the older woman a hug. She enthusiastically accepted. Jane and Natasha came up to her as well, sharing hugs and congratulation as well as everyone else.

"You couldn't wait could you?" Tony sounded behind them coming down the hall. She smiled at him widely.

"Nope, my bad." Was her only replied as he wrapped an arm around her waist and coming to stand next to her in front of everyone.

"Congratulations Stark, who knew you had it in you." Clint joked earning a scowl from Tony as everyone laughed.

"Oh ha ha." He replied pulling Pepper closer.

Before anyone could say anything else a chorus of ring tones went off around the room. "Looks like duty calls." Steve said leading the way out of the living room.

"I'll be back soon, no worries." Tony told Pepper as she leaned up and pecked him on the lips. She whispered something in his ear, lighting a smirk on his face. She smiled at him as he turned to leave.

Darcy smiled at the couple before turning to Clint who had been watching the exchange as well. He looked down at her with a hopeful smirk. She laughed. "Dork." She mumbled slipping his jacket off and handing it to him. He pouted before she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek.

"Awe, that's all?" he pouted. She chuckled.

"What happens next depends on how good that cheesecake is." She told him. He smirked. She leaned forward with a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please be careful." She whispered to him before pulling out of the hug. He winked at her before heading for the elevators.

"OOO, someone's got it bad." Jane teased walking up to her friend. Darcy turned to face her, a smile on her face. Pepper chuckled watching her.

"I take it your date well." She said. Darcy's smile widened.

"He was amazing. It was like no date I've ever been on." She told them. "He's….."

"Prince charming?" Jane questioned with a smile. Darcy laughed taking a deep breath.

"Yea, I can't believe I'm saying this but, he really is."

"Ladies," Pepper began moving to loop her arms with each of theirs on either side of her. She smiled. "I think it's time for ice cream." She continued leading them toward the elevator. They smiled enthusiastically at her. "I know where Tony keeps the good stuff."

* * *

_Is this the real life; is it just fantasy_

_Caught in a land slide, no escape from reality…_

"Hmloo?" Darcy mumbled groggily into her phone.

"Miss Lewis I advise you to get down to headquarters' MedBay immediately. The mission was a failure."

* * *

A/N: Chapter 5! Oh geez is that a cliff hanger…my bad (not). –Insert evil Loki laugh here-

Thanks for reading!

-Later Days


	6. Just A Few Second Thoughts

Just Darcy

Chapter 6: Just a Few Second Thoughts

xXx

Darcy pushed through the doors of the ER, her breathing heavy. Jane looked up at her as she entered. "Are they back yet?" she asked looking between Pepper and Jane. Jane shook her head 'no' before looking over at Pepper. It was then that she noticed the redness around the older woman's eyes. "What happened?" Darcy asked sitting down next to Pepper. She took a deep breath.

"Jarvis was monitoring Tony when everything went to hell." She explained holding back tears. "He's hurt, badly." She continued tears welling up in her eyes. Without thinking Darcy leaned forward and pulled Pepper against her. She gladly accepted the comfort as she laid her head on the younger woman's shoulder. "He couldn't tell me anything else because the systems in Tony's suit short circuited and their not restarting." She sniffled. "If the reactor stops he could go in to cardiac arrest…" she couldn't finish as tears spilled from her eyes. Darcy held her tighter.

The three women sat in silence for, how long, Darcy didn't know but eventually Coulson pushed through the doors gaining their attention. They all looked to him standing as he approached. "Are they back?" Jane asked worried.

"They are." He replied simply.

"How are they?" Darcy questioned. Coulson sighed.

"Steve and Bruce are both beaten and bruised but they will recover. Thor is exhausted but his injuries are already beginning to heal. As for Natasha and Clint, Natasha has broken ribs, bruised ligaments and a few scrapes. Clint on the other hand was lucky enough to escape with minor injuries, a minor concussion and a few cuts and bruises." Coulson hesitated, taking a deep breath as he turned toward Pepper. She tensed as she waited. "He's not doing so well. The doctors on the Helicarrier say he's in critical condition. The arc reactor is running at half capacity, he has several broken bones including his right leg and four ribs. He has a major concussion and has been unconscious since they pulled him from the rubble." Pepper let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, shuffling back to find her chair before her legs gave out. Darcy reached out helping her sit.

"Where is everyone, now?" Jane asked as she took a seat on the other side of Pepper.

"Everyone is getting checked out right now. We brought them in through the back to avoid any crowds of unnecessary people. Tony is in surgery right now, we have the best taking care of him." Coulson emphasized that last part to Pepper in specific. "I've instructed the doctors and nurses to keep all of you up to date on everything as regularly as possible." Darcy nodded in understanding. She stood up facing her boss.

"Is there anything that needs to be done?" she asked ready to jump into anything anyone needed help with. He shook his head.

"Not right now, just stay here and keep an eye on everyone. I'm sure they're all going to trickle in as the doctors' finish with them. You're in charge Miss Lewis, do what you have to. And don't be afraid to pull rank." Coulson explained.

"Yes, sir." She replied resuming her seat next to Pepper.

Time passed slowly in the waiting room as it always seemed to do when you had to wait in one. It was like some pocket of space where time always flows differently and no matter what you do or how long you sit there it just moves so slowly. Eventually Steve and Thor shuffled into the room looking worn and dejected, a fact that wasn't helped much when they saw Pepper. Jane did her best not to jump to her feet and charge at Thor when he walked in but a reassuring hand on her shoulder from Pepper gave her the go ahead. She still made sure to be discreet. Steve took a seat awkwardly across the narrow room, doing everything he could to avoid looking at Pepper. He knew he should say something, anything to reassure her, but he was at a complete loss. Eventually Darcy gave him a look that told him not to worry about it.

Bruce was the next to make an appearance taking a seat off to the side, out of the way. The older doctor looked spaced out, like he was deep within himself in some weird meditation with a name Darcy couldn't pronounce. One way or another she didn't expect much from him for a while. Natasha and Clint were the last to enter the waiting room. As if on instinct, Clint scanned the room looking for her, but hesitated when he saw Pepper leaning against her. He followed Natasha farther into the room taking the seat across from Darcy while Natasha took a seat on the other side of Steve.

Darcy looked up at Clint feeling his eyes on her. He shot her a small smile, trying to be comforting. She smiled lightly back, but he could tell it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes looked glazed almost as if she wasn't seeing him. What he didn't know was how wrong he was. Ever since she got off the phone with Coulson hours earlier, her senses were fine-tuned, almost sharpened to an extreme. Her blood was pumping and she was ready to do anything, everything. Unfortunately this also meant that her brain was working overtime and having no qualms in making her think about all the things that could have gone wrong, all the ways her co-workers, her friends could have been hurt, how they were hurt. Her eyes were picking out every cut, every bruise, everything bump on his body she hadn't noticed before. She could see the bags under his eyes, the sheen of sweat on his skin the utter exhaustion that surrounded him. And through it all, all she could think about is how it could have been, how, logically, it should have been him. He should be the one hurt the worst, because between him and Natasha he was the most breakable, the one with only a sleeveless Kevlar vest between him and sever bodily harm. And the worst part, the absolute worst part of all of it was that no matter what, he would never leave this life.

And she could never ask him too.

* * *

Three A.M. started off with the doctor coming into the waiting room to talk to them. Pepper could barely get to her feet she was so drained, but she did what she had to as she always did. She was 'The' Pepper Potts, exhaustion had never beaten her before and it sure as hell wasn't going to beat her now. The conversation with the doctor was fairly simple, Tony was critical but stable. He had a broken leg and arm, both were set during surgery and all the extensive internal injuries were mended. He was still under anesthesia but there was no guarantee he would wake up after it wore off. To Pepper's credit she did a fantastic job standing tall as he spoke and when he was done, she gave no chance for him to say no, letting him lead her to Tony's room.

When they were gone the decision was made unanimously that they would wait it out for a little while longer. Darcy didn't know exactly what went down during the mission, she probably wouldn't find out until Monday afternoon when the reports crossed her desk for review, but no matter what happened it was obvious that each and every one of them was willing to run themselves into the ground waiting for any kind of status on Tony.

They all resettled themselves in the waiting room, this time Clint took the opportunity to move, taking the seat left open next to Darcy. She looked up at him a light smile on her face as she leaned back in her chair resting her head against the wall behind her. She smiled sadly as she felt Clint reach over and lay a hand on her thigh. She looked down, tracing his knobby knuckles with her eyes. She could tell by the structure of his hand, how it had been broken before. She could even see little scars here and there, callouses stretching across the pads. He was a soldier, a warrior… a fighter. She took a deep breath letting it out slowly as she looked up at the ceiling, closing her eyes.

It didn't take long for sleep to overcome her.

* * *

"Hello?" she called out into the darkness around her. "Clint?" she continued. "Anyone?" there was no reply. In fact there was no sound at all. There was nothing around her, nothing but blackness. She turned around where she stood trying to find something, anything to tell her where she was, but still there was nothing. She grew nervous, confused, disoriented. They were not feelings she was comfortable with.

As if something had read her mind a light sparked in the distance, spreading and cracking the darkness around her, until it shattered. She gasped taking in her new surroundings. The encroaching light had left her in a cemetery. It was cold, with storm clouds hanging low in the sky. The day was dreary, depressing, everything you would expect a trip to the cemetery to be.

Darcy looked around her, her eyes landing on a familiar group of people to her right. "Guys?" she called slowly walking toward the group. She stopped between Natasha and Steve. "Natasha? What's going on?" Darcy asked looking at the older woman. Her head was hung low, her eyes focused and sharp on something in front of her. Suddenly the group began to disband, slowly walking together away from her. She watched them confused until finally she trailed her eyes toward the ground, finding what they had all been starring at. She gasped falling to her knees as tears sprung to her eyes. She starred at the tombstone in front of her, reading it over and over, the pain growing with each pass.

Clint _"Hawkeye" _Barton

_Friend, Soldier, Hero_

"No, no, no." she cried oblivious to the movement of the ground. "This can't be right." She murmured brokenly as the quaking in the ground grew stronger. Suddenly the earth before the tombstone cracked open, splitting and separating, startling Darcy. She gapped at the crater like hole starring down into its depths of it. She leaned forward carefully to get a better look. Before she could pull back the ground beneath her crumbled, sending her tumbling into the hole. She tried to scream but no sound escaped her.

Darcy jumped, sitting up straight. "Darce?" she heard beside her. She looked over wide eyed and confused to see Clint starring at her concerned. It was a dream. "Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded a little more frantically then she would have liked. He was watching her confused, leaning forward closer to her. She could hear her heart beating in her ears, faster and faster as she looked into his eyes. She broke eye contact looking around the room. Everyone was still there, looking exhausted and beaten. She knew they were all beyond tired, she knew for a fact that none of them had slept since the night before and she had no doubt they hadn't eaten either. She took a deep breath looking back at Clint.

"Coulson put me in charge." She said simply.

"Yea?" he replied looking at her as if starring would help connect the dots.

"So I think I should pull rank." She said loud enough for everyone to hear. They looked to her as she stood up.

"It's time to go. Tony's fine, Pepper is with him. No one is going to do him any good in this condition." She gestured around the room. "I will text Pepper and ask her to keep us updated." She continued when it looked like they might argue. They all stood up, heading out as Clint turned to Darcy.

"I guess it's a little late, well technically early for cheesecake." Clint joked doing his best to remain humorous despite the fact that he was both physically and mentally exhausted.

"Uh, yea, a little." She replied disconnected. Clint watched her curiously.

"Well, maybe we.." he began.

"I should go find Coulson and let him know what's going on with the team." She cut him off before turning on her heels and walking out. Clint starred after her confused. He caught sight of Natasha who had witnessed their exchange.

"Was it something I said?"

* * *

"Pepper." Tony moaned his eyes opening slowly. Something blurry pop up in his vision, and he couldn't have asked for a more perfect sight when his eyes finally focused.

"Hey beautiful." He mumbled with a goofy little smile. He flinched as drops of water fell on his face. "Hey, come on, no crying." He told her. She laughed through her tears.

"And what do you want me to do?" she questioned sniffling. "Throw a party?" he smirked.

"Sounds fun, how fast can you pull it together?" Tony joked. She couldn't reply as more tears spilled down her cheeks. He could hear her, but moving his head wasn't an option so he closed his eyes and spoke as comfortingly as he could. "Please, stop crying. I hate it when you cry." She sniffed.

"I'm sorry, you had me scared for a while there." She explained, taking his good hand in hers. He squeezed it with as much strength as he could muster. She smiled sadly looking him over. She'd never seen him so broken and beaten before. Not even after his returned to the states from captivity. She remembered crying that day too, she was a mess when she found out he was coming home. She honestly didn't believe she would ever see him again. Even then she considered him family. She'd lost her father when she was young and her mother almost right before he disappeared, and it terrified her to think that the only person left in her life, the only person she really trusted was gone and she never got to tell him what he really meant to her. "I love you." She blurted out running her thumb over his knuckles. She watched as he smirked, his eyes closed.

"I love you too." He replied. There was a short pause in their conversation before Tony spoke up again. "How is everyone?" he asked. She smiled lightly. A few years ago, Tony Stark asking about someone else's wellbeing would have been unheard of. It was true, she is so proud of the man he has become. That's why, despite everything that had happened, despite seeing the condition he was in now, she would never ask him to give it up.

"They're alright. Clint and Natasha have a concussion and a few broken bones between them, and Thor, Steve and Bruce are sore but healing quickly." She explained.

"What about Barton and Lewis?" he asked. She looked at him confused. "Clint was kind of upset about having to leave before the end of their date. He did his best to hide it but we could tell." He continued. His voice was less strained meaning it was taking less energy to speak.

"He seemed ok. He smiled at Darcy when he walked into the waiting room, but she seemed kind of sad when she saw him." Tony sighed.

"What a way to celebrate an engagement." He grumbled after a while. She couldn't help it as laughter bubbled out of her. Pepper laid her head on the bed next to him laughter taking hold of her. He chuckled; the sounds she was making were music to his ears. A relieving sound in comparison to the darkness he was trapped in before. He hadn't known what had happened. He remembered the sentinel attacking innocent mutants; he remembered the pressure as it caught him, squeezing for all it was worth. He remembered the feel of the supposedly solid building as it crumbled around him. He remembered the pain in his chest and feeling so heavy he couldn't move no matter how much he tried. But what he remembered most clearly was the thoughts of Pepper, how sad [he hoped] she would be if he didn't come home, how angry she would be if he left her after finally working up the nerve to purpose. How sad he would be not to get the chance to have children with her, to watch them grow, to grow old with her.

To spend the rest of their lives together.

* * *

Two weeks passed quickly for the Avengers and all seemed to be right with the world. There were no missions in that span of time giving each and every one of them the chance to fully recharge and recuperate. Tony was finally sitting up, and being completely ornery. Most of his injuries were healed with exception of his broken limbs which kept him bedridden longer than usual. And of course an idol Tony Stark was never a good thing, so Pepper made arrangements to get him a few small supplies, things he could tinker with to keep himself occupied. Of course that ended in disaster when he made a toy helicopter and flew it around the nurses' station scaring all the nurses. After that his privileges were revoked and a schedule was made putting each and every Avenger in charge of keeping an eye on him at one point or another.

It was on one particular day that Clint entered Tony's room to relieve Pepper. Clint had been a bit of downer for the last two weeks. Not on purpose but he was unusually broody even for him. It wasn't hard to figure out it had something to do with a certain spunky brunette with a love for Tasers. It had become obvious since the failed mission that she was going above and beyond to avoid everything that had to do with Clint Barton. She'd even gone as far as to make friends with one of the female instructors at the range, eventually having her take over her arms training. Unfortunately she couldn't do the same with her hand to hand combat training since Natasha was in charge of that and let's face it, passing up an opportunity to learn with the best was just stupid. Thankfully whatever Natasha's feelings toward her were she kept it to herself.

The worst part, however, was probably the fact that she wouldn't even talk about him with anyone. Whenever his name was mentioned she clammed up or changed the subject rather quickly. That's what hurt him the most. The fact that he could never see her face to face could be explained, but the fact that she couldn't even talk about him, brought him into a new level of despair that he'd never felt before. And honestly he wasn't comfortable with feeling that way.

"Hey, sir broods a lot." Tony greeted as Clint entered. Pepper sighed shaking her head.

"Always a pleasure Tony." Clint replied taking his usual seat in the corner.

"Please try not to kill each other." Pepper said as she leaned over and kissed Tony good bye. She said her goodbyes to Clint as well before heading out. When she was gone Tony turned a critical eye on Clint. He stared back awkwardly.

"What?" Clint questioned.

"You're getting on my nerves." Tony told him matter of factly. Clint scowled.

"I've been here for less than three minutes." Clint replied. "How can I possibly be bothering you already?"

"Cause you're an idiot." He told him simply, crossing his arms as best he could with a cast on. Clint's scowl deepened.

"How?"

"One word." Tony replied. "Darcy." Clint sighed, slouching in his chair and crossing his arms.

"I'm not taking about this with you." Clint told him simply.

"Too bad, neither of us is allowed to leave so you have no choice at this point." Tony told him. "I'm tired of watching you mope and hearing about it from everyone who thinks cause I'm stuck in this bed I suddenly want to hear about everyone else's problems."

"Who's talking about it?" he asked.

"Everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Friggin' everyone!" Tony snapped. "Even Thor threw his two cents in. I didn't even know he knew what a brush off was but apparently Jane's been making him watch all these 80's romantic comedies and he's learning things…..lots of things."

Clint starred at him a little wide eyed. Through his whole rant his tone had gotten a little frantic, and a little high pitched, which is something he'd never heard from him before. Clint rested his head against the wall behind him with a sigh.

"She avoids me like the plague. She lives across the hall and I haven't seen more than a glimpse of her in two weeks. I'm pretty sure she memorized my schedule so she could make sure she never runs into me." Clint finally relented. "I mean our date was amazing, either that or she's an amazing actor and liar."

"You need to corner her." Tony replied. Clint looked up at him like he was crazy.

"She's not a target Stark, she's a woman, a woman who apparently can't stand to be around me."

"I don't mean corner her like a gazelle. You said she knows your schedule right?  
Clint nodded. "Well cancel something, training with Cap or Natasha. They'll understand. Then you go find her where ever she is and make her talk to you. Don't give her a chance to make an excuse."

"Yea, but what if she actually doesn't want to talk to me. What if I had blinders on and she was really bored or something. I mean maybe she thought I was flaunting power or something when I took her to Deep Freeze." Clint replied.

"Look…wait what?! You got into Deep Freeze?! I've been trying to get reservations there for months." Tony retorted scowling. Clint sighed shaking his head.

"Can we focus please?" he replied. Tony opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut when he thought better.

"You're worried she didn't enjoy the date? Well I have inside information that says otherwise." Tony told him. Clint looked over at him, moving to sit up straight.

"Really?" he asked. Tony nodded.

"After we left that night, Pepper invited Jane and Darcy upstairs for ice cream…my ice cream by the way… and Darcy referred to you as Prince Charming." Tony grimaced at the name.

"Darcy doesn't believe in fairy tales." Clint told him.

"I know, that's what makes what she said all the more important. The entire night, according to Pepper she did nothing but gush about how much fun she'd had and how great you were and how it was the best date she'd ever been on. And after I squelched the urge to barf she said that Darcy was looking forward to you coming home and she couldn't wait to finish your date."

"But if that's true then why is she avoiding me?" Clint questioned now thoroughly confused. Tony shrugged.

"Don't know, that's what you need to talk to her about."

Silence fell between them as Clint sighed again, leaning back in his chair. "Now, about Deep Freeze…" Tony finally spoke up. Clint looked up at him with a scowl.

* * *

Clint looked at the clock on the coffee machine. It was late on a Friday night and he was supposed to be training with Natasha. Something she offered to help relieve a little stress, however, he had other ideas. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing her number. It rang twice before she answered.

"You're late." She stated. He could hear weights clanking in the background, and grunts he knew belonged to Steve. He smirked despite himself.

"Yea, I'm not going to be able to make it." He told her simply. There was a pause, the weights having stopped.

"Why?" she asked. It wasn't like her to pry but the soft tone of his voice set off alarms in her head. He usually only used that tone when he was worried about being over heard.

"I'm going to talk to Darcy." He replied. Since he found out that between them, they could hear into each other's rooms he was conscious of the fact that she may have been listening for a while in hopes of knowing where he was. He heard Natasha mumble on the other end of the line before she replied;

"Don't screw it up." And hung up the phone. He scowled at the device before slipping it into his pocket.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He grumbled as he made way to leave his apartment. He made his way down the hall stopping and listening at her door. He couldn't hear anything but he knew she was in there. Apparently Tony gave Jarvis specific instruction to help him, including telling him where she was when he was ready.

"The door is open Agent Barton." The AI spoke in a hushed tone, no doubt sensing his hesitance. He mumbled thanks before carefully and quietly opening the door and slipping in.

"Jarvis, where is she?" Clint hushed.

"I have no record of Miss Lewis leaving the en suite bathroom since entering nearly an hour ago." Jarvis replied in short order. Clint wasted no time in moving toward the bedroom, stopping just outside the closed door. He hesitated listening through the door before pushing through. The bedroom was empty but the bathroom door was closed and he could hear water sloshing around. She was most likely in the bathtub and he had to take a moment to get control of his thoughts.

With a deep breath Clint stepped up to the door. He raised his fist knocking lightly. "Darcy?" he could hear water sloshing, as if someone had been startled.

* * *

Darcy sighed as she relaxed back into the warm water. Who knew dodging the man of your dreams was so tiring. She couldn't keep doing this, she knew that. The last two weeks were hard enough but who knew how long she would be here. She couldn't keep avoiding him.

Not only that but she could tell that this was affecting everyone else as well. They were avoiding talking about him to her and it seemed awkward whenever people were around. As if they knew she was a horrible person but they didn't want to say it out loud. She couldn't blame them, here she was running from something that could be absolutely amazing because she was too scared, too selfish to let herself get hurt. Even if it meant hurting Clint.

Darcy took a deep breath calming her nerves. She was going to have to talk to him eventually; he was too stubborn to just let her go. The problem was, every time she even thought about him, and his reaction to her she couldn't help but feel like a total bitch. She was a horrible human being and he deserved so much better.

Darcy jumped as a knock sounded at her bathroom door.

* * *

"Clint? What are you doing here?" Darcy replied. He could tell he'd caught her by surprise.

"I needed to talk to you and since you're avoiding me, this was the only way." He told her. She didn't reply, she couldn't. "I'm not going away Darcy."

"Clint."

"No, you don't have to come out but you do have to listen." He told her. He took a deep breath. "I thought I made myself clear when I asked you out. I thought you understood that all you had to do is tell me you weren't interested and I would back off and we could be just friends." He paused. "But even as I say that I know there's a problem with it because I have it on good authority that you really enjoyed our date." He rested his forehead against the door, his voice growing softer but she could hear every word perfectly. "You called me Prince Charming." He said, if he heard her sniffle he ignored it and kept talking. "I've never been anyone's anything….. I wish I had been there to hear you say it yourself." He whispered.

Darcy was silent as what he said sunk in. She had known she couldn't put off talking to him but now that he was here, now that she knew he was invested in her, she wasn't sure she had it in her to reject him. "Clint, can you wait for me in the living room?" she asked.

"Why?" he questioned without thinking. She hesitated not expecting that answer.

"Because my clothes are on the bed." she told him simply. Clint froze looking over to said piece of furniture. He starred at the small pile his mind wandering. "If you're going to picture me naked, do it in the living room please." Clint snapped out of his thoughts at that, abruptly turning on his heels, leaving.

Darcy listened until she heard the door close before walking out and dressing quickly in her blue fleece pajama pants and long sleeved grey waffle shirt. When she was done she made her way to the door, stopping with her hand on the knob as she took a deep breath. She opened the door, stepping out of the bedroom slowly to find Clint pacing in front of the window. He looked to her as he heard the door open. She walked out moving to sit on the couch. Barely a minute later Clint made his way over, sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. He said nothing; he was waiting for her to make the first move.

She took another deep breath. "I can't be with you." She told him simply. Clint watched her intensely.

"Why?" was all he asked. She looked down at her hands wringing her fingers together.

"Because… I'm scared." She finally replied not looking up at him. Clint watched her confused.

"Of what? Of me?" he asked. She shook her head finally looking up. He was taken aback by the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I'm afraid that…I'm going to get so invested in this." She gestured between them. "I don't think that I could handle getting a phone call like that again, Coulson telling me the mission was a failure only to find out that this time you weren't just hurt…."

"Darcy…" he began but honestly he didn't really know what to say. This was a difficult job, he knew that. There was no guarantee that he would always be ok.

"I was so ready to jump into this. I mean you were right, I did say all of that stuff, and I still believe it but…." The tears were beginning to fall from her eyes and she cursed herself for not keeping it together. "My biggest fear is falling and no one being there to catch me." Clint starred at her, he had no idea what to say and it wasn't getting any better. "I know it's selfish, but I can't help it, I refuse to ask you to choose, because let's face it, I didn't fall for a pencil pusher with a desk job." Clint's face was the picture of calm but on the inside his mind was racing a mile a minute. There was nothing he could do. There had always been something he could do, but now, there was absolutely nothing. She was right, he could very well break her heart without meaning to.

Darcy watched him, waiting for him to say something anything. She knew it was sick but a small part of her wanted him to fight back, to convince her she was wrong. But he said nothing; he just starred at the wall behind her. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Darcy opened her mouth to say something only to close it as Clint stood up abruptly, his eyes tracing the streaks of tears down her cheeks. He looked down at her his face devoid of emotion. She was startled by the look; she'd never seen him so serious before. She could see in his eyes though, his mind was turning.

Without warning, Clint turned on his heel and walked out without another word. She watched him go, more tears spilling from her eyes. Without a second thought she picked up her phone dialing Jane.

"_Hey Darce, what's up?"_ Jane replied when she picked up. Darcy sniffled.

"I talked to Clint." She said through her tears.

"_Are you crying? What happened?"_ Jane questioned worried.

"I told him I couldn't be with him and he just left. I've never seen him look that way before, it was unnerving. He just left, he just got up and left." She explained.

"_Oh Darcy, I'm so sorry sweetie." _Jane replied. She could hear Thor's booming voice in the background questioning her. Jane shushed him. _"Do you want me to come up there?" _she continued.

"Maybe, I don't know, I just don't know anything anymore." She cried. Jane began to say something only to be cut off when a loud beeping sounded on her end of the phone. "What was that?" Darcy asked.

"_The Avenger's alert, their calling the team in." _Jane told her. Darcy froze thinking about what she had failed to say before he left. She didn't want to leave things that way. She didn't want to be the one to distract him and potentially get him hurt.

"I have to go." Darcy said quickly in to the receiver before hanging up. She could hear Clint's door down the hall open and close. She jumped up from her seat and practically ran for the door, throwing it open only to jump startled when she found Clint on the other side. She could tell he wasn't expecting that. "Clint." She began. He held his hand up to stop her.

"Just listen I only have a minute." He began grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the elevator. He pushed the button before turning back to her. "My dad wasn't the smartest guy, or best, and certainly wasn't any good with words. He dropped out of high school to join the army and everyday he got up and did what had to. He pushed himself to be everything he could possibly be. And for all that hard work, when he graduated Basic, they awarded him this." Clint held up a large gold ring on a matching braided chain. It looked like a class ring but instead of extracurricular symbols it had the army logo on either side of the diamond at the top. "This was his most prized possession, he said it symbolized how far he'd come and how far he still had to go." Clint paused. "He met my mom, they got married, had me, and then three years after that when she was pregnant with my little brother he got deployed somewhere dangerous. My mom was terrified, horrified by the idea that he wouldn't come home or that she would have to raise us on her own. So he gave her this ring, and in a clumsy way it was his way of saying that no matter what, no matter how hard, or how unlikely it seemed he would always come home. As long as she was there waiting for him."

The doors dinged behind him and he looked over his shoulder for just a second before looking back at her. Fresh tears fell from her eyes as she watched him pick up her hand and place the ring in it. She looked up at him in time to catch him leaning forward to peck her on the forehead. He backed up getting into the elevator looking down at the floor as the doors closed. Darcy watched him her mind working overtime. As the doors closed she made a split second decision, stopping the doors with her foot. Clint looked up at her surprised as she rushed up to him, grabbed him around the collar and crashed her lips with his in a sloppy and passionate kiss. He responded after a bit of hesitation.

When Darcy pulled away the tears just wouldn't stop falling. She backed out of the elevator keeping her eyes on him. "You better come back." She told him warningly. He smirked, saluting her.

"Count on it." He replied as the doors closed. He could hear her voice echo through the elevator shaft as she yelled;

"I MEAN IT BARTON!"

* * *

A/N: SO, what did you think? Not what you were expecting based on your reviews of the previous chapter, but I hope I did not disappoint. Next chapter is finished and ready for posting after a proof reading, so hopefully you won't have to wait too long.

-Later Days


	7. Just Trying to Change Her Mind

Just Darcy

Chapter 7: Just Trying to Change Her Mind

xXx

The mission had been so simple it was almost laughable. Honestly, they probably didn't need to call the Avengers in at all, but the guys in charge wanted to be sure to cover all their bases, so of course they had to do it. The point was that everything went smoothly and Clint found himself entering his apartment around midnight to find the lights off, the TV on and a Darcy shaped lump inside his old worn S.H.E.I.L.D. hoody fast asleep on his couch. He smiled to himself as he watched her, her face lit up by the glow of the LCD.

Deciding not to bother her, Clint stored his gear and then headed for his room and the en suite bathroom just beyond. The mission may have been a dud but he still managed to work up a sweat enough to require a shower. Normally after a mission- no matter what the difficulty- he liked to take his time in the shower, sometimes even going as far as to get a bath. He took the time to relax, and think and sometimes just…exist. But seeing as how sleeping beauty had made herself at home on his couch, getting in and out as quickly as possible was his only real concern.

So that's what he did. He was pretty sure as he got out that he had set a new record. He quickly dried and dressed in an old pair of grey sweatpants and his black SHEILD shirt and then made his way back out into the living room. As he entered he noticed her silhouette against the light of the TV, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Hey sleepy head." He called out to her sweetly. She turned to face him but her face was blacked out by the screen. In an effort to be merciful, Clint walked into the kitchen and flipped the surface light on under the cabinets. The light was just enough to see, but not harsh enough to hurt someone who had been sleeping all this time.

"Hey." She mumbled softly in reply as sleep wore off. He smiled to himself. She was cute when she was just waking up. Clint watched her as she stood from the couch and shuffled over to him. He looked her over noting how much bigger his hoody was on her compared to himself. Despite the size it looked so much better on her.

Darcy moved slowly, but eventually made it to him as he leaned against the counter. She wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder and breathing deeply. Clint was surprised by her actions, but far be it from him to complain. He smiled down at her enjoying the feel of her warm sleep lethargic body against his own. "Mmm, you smell good." She mumbled, rubbing her nose in his chest. He chuckled, holding her closer.

"You know I could definitely get used to this." He said, simply. Her snort of laughter was muffled into his shirt.

"I'm sure." Was her equally simple reply. "You know what sounds really good right now?" she questioned.

"What?"

"Cheesecake." Clint smirked pulling away reluctantly.

"I think I can help with that." He told her opening the fridge and pulling out a medium sized brown baker's box. He set it on the counter before turning to the cupboards and taking out two plates. When he turned back he found Darcy perched on a seat at the breakfast bar eyeing up the cheesecake. He smirked setting the plates out and then serving up two pieces.

Darcy took a big bite. "Mmm." She moaned closing her eyes. Clint watched amused.

"Enjoying yourself?" Darcy smiled looking up at him.

"This is amazing." She told him. "Where did you get it?" she asked. He smirked.

"Small diner a few blocks from here." He told her taking a bite of his own piece.

Silence fell between as they enjoyed their midnight snack. Every so often they would look up at each other, a smile here and there. Eventually Clint finished his piece setting his fork down with exaggerated care. Darcy couldn't help but notice. She looked up at him carefully, waiting for him to find the words to express what he was thinking.

"I need you to know." He finally began. "I need you to understand, that I will probably screw this up more than once. I'll undoubtedly piss you off or make you worry….but I will always be there to catch you." He hesitated. "Even when you're sick of me and you can't stand me being around anymore, I'll be there. I'll catch you."

Darcy watched him, a smile growing on her face. "I know." Was her only reply as she finished off her snack. They were silent again as Clint took her plate and his and washed them.

"So listen, I was thinking, if you're not busy tomorrow maybe we could go out. Grab some lunch, walk around the city." Clint suggested not turning away from the sink.

"Sounds like fun."

He smiled finishing what he was doing and turning to face her. "Great, I have a briefing and then hand to hand with Natasha and Steve, but I should be done with everything by noon."

"Sounds good." She replied stretching. Clint smiled lightly at her as she stifled a yawn.

"Maybe now would be a good time for you to call it a night." Clint told her amused as she rested against the counter top. She shook her head.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep for a while after all that sugar." She told him propping her head on her hand. Clint scowled. She could tell he was worried but he really had no reason to be. To be honest all she really wanted was to be with him, sleep or not. She glanced around the room absently her eyes landing on the far corner near the window. A smile grew on her face as an idea struck her. She turned back to him with her smile still in place as an idea struck her. He looked a bit uneasy by her expression. She stifled a laugh before spinning around and hopping off the stool.

Clint watched Darcy confused as she walked toward the far corner of the room. He had no idea what she was up to until he heard the familiar plink of his guitar strings as she wrapped her hand around the neck. She turned back to him, holding the instrument out in front of her. "Will you play for me?" she asked hopefully. He looked at her surprised by her request, but walked around the breakfast bar toward her anyway. She met him halfway getting comfortable on the couch next to him.

He tuned it out of habit, plucking the strings while trying to get comfortable on the couch. Truth be told, he was hoping if he took his time and stalled she would get distracted by something else. He'd never actually played for anyone before, not even Natasha or Barbra. It's not that he's afraid of performing its more the idea that it doesn't really fit into his personal appearance that he's worked so hard to create.

"Are you stalling?" Darcy finally asked. To Clint's credit he didn't flinch.

"No." he replied smoothly or at least he thought it was smooth. She looked at him incredulously.

"If you're not comfortable playing for me…" she left it hanging.

"No, I'm fine really. Have a little faith."

Darcy smirked as he turned back to his guitar, plucking out a quick few notes then pausing before laying out a couple of acoustic Cash tunes. To Darcy's delight he even sang along his voice rough and tumble. She stifled her laughter when he stumbled a little as she laid her head on his knee. When he finished he lifted the guitar off his lap and set it on the floor beside him, running his opposite hand through her hair. He leaned back as she rolled over onto her back smiling up at him lethargically.

"You should do that more often." She told him, yawning again. He blushed as she stretched out on his lap like a cat. "You have a really nice voice." she mumbled sleepily.

"Should I be worried that I can put you to sleep so easily?" Darcy laughed, but didn't reply. Clint watched her for a few minutes as her eyes drifted closed. He made a quick decision as he watched her, gently scooping her up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled as she felt the world move around her.

"Shh, go to sleep."

Clint carried Darcy down the hall and back into her own apartment. He made his way into her bedroom setting her on the bed gently and tucking her in. He then leaned in and pecked her on the temple before turning to leave. "Wait." He heard as he took a step. He turned back to her, smiling as he watched her reach for him, her eyes closed and half her face pressed into the pillow.

"What's wrong?"

"You're hoody." She replied and he could tell how much trouble she was having staying awake. He chuckled, leaning over again and planting a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Keep it. It looks better on you."

* * *

"Darce?" Clint called out as he entered her apartment.

"Be out in a minute." Was her reply from behind the bedroom door. Clint didn't reply as he shuffled around her apartment. As many times as he's been in here he'd never really taken the time to look around. Something that was uncharacteristic for him given his training. Now as he walked around the sofa he took note of the three picture frames that sat on the table behind it.

The first was taken in New Mexico and depicted her and Jane sitting in the desert at sundown. The second was of her and her grandparents, a beautiful white banner hung behind them that read; _Happy 16__th__ Birthday, Darcy_. They were all dressed up and smiling widely. The final picture Clint picked up was of Darcy, Jane, Thor, Sif, Dr. Selvig and the warriors three at the filling station in Puento Antiguo. He'd had the privilege to meet Thor's closest friends during the clean-up in New York. He had to admit they were a great group of people, a bit strange, but quite the group of characters.

"Have you ever met Thor's friends?" Darcy's voice rang out behind him. He turned to see her peaking over his shoulder.

"Yea, they helped clean up Loki's mess. They even brought potions and Asgardian tech that helped save Coulson's life." Clint explained setting the picture back. Darcy smiled.

"They're pretty great people, or Gods. I guess. Technically." She chuckled. "They were about as ostentatious as Thor when he first landed." Clint smiled. "Getting hit on by an alien God though is a serious ego boost, let me tell you." She told him walking over to the coat rack by the door.

"Wait, what?"

Darcy pulled her jacket off the rack, putting it on. She turned to face him confused by his tone. She used every ounce of will power not to laugh at his wide eyed puppy face.

"Who…who hit on you?" He was stuttering and blinking like crazy trying for the life of him to stay calm.

"Fandrel." She replied simply. "Coming?" she asked grabbing her purse and heading out the door. Clint scowled.

"Great, first McDousche-bag and now a God." He grumbled to himself. "Why the hell is my girlfriend so hot?"

* * *

"So, can I ask you something?" Clint began finishing off his burger in a massive bite.

"Ok." Darcy replied cautiously, stealing one of his fries. He scowled but said nothing.

"Why me?" Darcy looked at him confused. "I mean, why me? Why did you change your rule for me?" he clarified.

Darcy starred at him, watching him squirm uncomfortably. Slowly a smile spread on her face. "Are we feeling a little insecure Agent Barton?" his scowl depended. "I'm sorry." She laughed shaking her head. "There are a lot of reasons." She finally told him.

"Like what?" she hesitated thinking an admiring smile grew on her face.

"Well you're sweet and warm and despite being all super awesome secret agent serious you make me laugh. And you know, you're hot." Clint blushed clearing his throat.

"Ok then." He replied awkwardly. Apparently people didn't make it a habit to tell him his good qualities. This was a shame because he had a lot of good qualities, ones she had a feeling he wasn't even aware of.

Silence fell between them as they finished off their lunches. Occasionally Darcy would steal Clint's fries earning a scowl from him. Eventually he pulled the plate out of her reach and stuffed the remaining potato sticks into his mouth. His cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk and she grimaced when he tried to smile at her.

"Classy." She remarked sarcastically. He batted his eyes at her attempting a cheeky grin before forcing down his food with his coffee. She laughed when he coughed. They finished lunch shortly after and despite her best attempts Clint held her off long enough to pay the tab (apparently Clint Barton was old fashioned), before he helped her into her jacket and led the way back on to the street.

Once on the sidewalk, Clint wrapped his arm around her waist, slipping his hand into the back pocket of her jeans. She smiled at the contact, enjoying the level of closeness they managed to create in such a short time. It was funny really, she'd been in relationships before but to be honest her past boyfriends never made her feel the way Clint did. On top of everything she had told him earlier it was also a big plus that he actually listened to her. Those who came before him usually only pretended to listen in hopes that her shirt would come off faster. Despite Clint's obvious fascination with her chest he did an amazing job keeping his eyes on her face when her mouth was moving. And really it all added up to the simple fact that he respected her, which made her feel like she wasn't some faceless admin assistant who people only remembered based on her bra size and the jokes that could be made up at the water cooler.

Which reminded her; "FYI," she finally spoke drawing Clint's attention. "I didn't break my rule for you." She told him. He looked confused behind his shades.

"Yes you did. You said you don't date people you work with. You even turned down McDopey."

"McDopey?"

"Not one of my best I'll admit." He consented. "But seriously." He left it open waiting for her to continue.

"If you will recall my exact words were; 'I don't date people I share office space with'. We don't share office space and I have no rule against people I share living space with. She explained. He 'ohed'.

"So your telling me that the week I spent freaking out about asking you out, I could have just done it and you would have said 'yes'? No convincing necessary?" Darcy nodded. He pouted.

"If it makes you feel any better I spent the week picturing you naked and reprimanding myself for liking a guy who's totally out of my league." Clint stopped abruptly looking down at her.

"You think I'm out of you league?" he asked her incredulously.

"Babe, you're so far out of my league we're not even in the same ball park." She told him turning to face him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not like down on myself or anything, but really, have you seen you?" he blushed.

"Uh, thanks?" he replied scratching the back of his head awkwardly. She shot him a wide grin leaning up and pecking him on the lips. When she pulled away a poster hanging in the window of a toy store across the street caught her attention.

"Oh look." She exclaimed excited, pointing across the street. Clint followed her line of sight, sighing exasperated when he caught sight of what had her so excited. "The Avengers toys from Stark Industries are out." she grabbed his arm, pulling him across the street.

"Are you serious? You really want to go in there?" he asked skeptically as they stopped in front of the store.

"Of course, why not?" she beamed at him excited, silencing any protests he was planning. He was such a sucker for her smile. "Come on." She prompted, taking him by the hand and leading him through the doors. A few families were scattered around, kids running around playing with various toys. Darcy led the way over to the aisle dedicated to Avengers toys. "Look how cool." She said pulling his action figure off the shelf. "My boyfriend has his own action figure."

Clint took the box as handed it to him to look at. He had to admit it was pretty accurate. He knew Tony was planning a toy line for the Avengers (some extra funding so they wouldn't be under SHEILD's thumb all the time, plus a little PR never hurt) but he had no idea he was planning on going so far. He handed the package back to Darcy and watched confused as she dropped it into a basket she had picked up at the end of the aisle. She then pulled a Thor figure off the self and put it in the basket too.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. "Are you actually going to buy those?"

"Yea, why, you don't think I should?" she asked genuinely confused.

"Why would you want to?" she looked at him like he was crazy.

"Why wouldn't I? Look how cool you look." She pulled his figure back out and held it up. "You look kick butt awesome with your sunglasses and your bow." Her smile was blinding. "And Jane's gonna freak when she sees Thor and his tiny hammer." To Clint's credit he did an amazing job not making a hammer joke.

"Ok." He relented, shoving his hands in his pockets. Her smile never wavered as she turned back to the shelves. He watched her as she perused the different toys. He wasn't sure exactly when she had crawled under his skin but with every minute she sunk in deeper and deeper. And to be honest, he couldn't complain. In his life he'd only been in two relationships, Darcy excluded, a young woman who made a short stay at the circus, and his former fellow agent Barbra Morse. The latter being the more serious of the two. The thing was, Barbra was very similar to Natasha, personality wise (with the exception of course she had a better sense of humor) and in that she wasn't the most loving of people. Don't get him wrong, their relationship was great, if you considered sex the only thing that mattered. But at the end of the day he couldn't talk to her and she most certainly didn't talk to him. And for the longest time he didn't really think he was the kind of guy who should or even deserved a relationship any different.

Darcy was different though. She wasn't afraid to tell him how she felt about anything. Where Barbra saw weakness in emotion, Darcy saw opportunity. Feeling came naturally to her; she never learned to keep it to herself. Despite being part of the Avengers Initiative, he didn't consider himself to be a super hero, it just wasn't who he was, but she made him feel like a hero. She seemed to think the world of him and it both scared him and humbled him.

"You ready?" she finally said drawing him out of his thoughts. He looked down at her. He took note of the other boxes in her basket as well.

"Are those Legos?" he asked. Darcy smiled.

"Yes, look this one has Lego you and Thor and Hulk." She told him. He chuckled. "Bruce probably won't be all that amused, but can you imagine Thor just trying to hold this little thing." She laughed as they made their way toward the check out.

Clint shook his head, but let his comments go. Within a few minutes they were finished and headed back out onto the street. When they were outside Clint spoke up. "I think we should go see Tony." He told her.

"Really? Ok." She replied surprised.

"I kind of owe him." Clint continued, trying not to flinch when he said it. Owing Tony Stark was not exactly something you wanted to have on your conscious, especially since he was not the type to let it go.

"How so?" Clint cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, uh, he kinda came up with the plan to get you to talk to me." Darcy looked up at him her eyes narrowed in suspicion. He shot her an attempt at an innocent half smile. She shook her head wrapping an arm around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder.

"You're a dork." He smirked, slinging his arm around her shoulder.

"Yea, but I'm your dork."

* * *

"There is no jury in the world that would convict me." They heard Pepper's voice through the door as they approached. The door slid open revealing Tony sitting up in bed and making grabby hands at Pepper in the chair next to the bed.

"Come on babe, whose gonna know?" Tony tried harder to reach her, but she just swatted his hands away.

"We will." Darcy interrupted, drawing their attention. Tony scowled as he turned to look at them.

"Excellent timing." He told them sarcastically. Clint smirked as they entered making themselves comfortable. "Well at least something went right." Tony continued crossing his arms with a pout. "This means you owe me."

"Tony!" Pepper scolded, smacking him on the arm.

"What? It's true!" he retorted.

"Actually he is right." Clint interrupted. Tony smirked at Pepper with an –I told you so- look. "So, as payment I pulled a few strings, made a phone call and got you a reservation for two at Deep Freeze." he told him. Tony shifted on the bed trying not to seem impressed.

"I guess that's cool." He replied. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Thank you Agent Barton." She stressed, scowling at Tony.

"What she said." He added. Darcy smiled trying not to laugh.

"So, any news on when they're going to spring you?" Darcy asked changing the subject.

"Hopefully tomorrow." Pepper told them.

"In other words not soon enough." Tony added. Pepper shook her head as his pout deepened. "I've been stuck in this bed for two weeks, and even after they let me go I still have to use crutches."

"Oh, you'll be fine." Pepper replied.

"Yea, and let's face it, you'll probably have some souped up ride, built and ready to cart you around the tower by the end of the first day." Clint added. Tony smirked.

"I've already got Jarvis running calculations and specs."

Pepper sighed, knowing full well that Tony would undoubtedly be the new hell on wheels. In an effort to help her friend remain sane Darcy spoke up.

"So, have you been working on Wedding Plans at all?" Pepper smiled grateful for the change of subject.

"I have, Tony though just smiles and nods most of the time." Pepper replied. Tony grinned cheekily, nodding along.

"Any break through?"

"Several. We set a tentative date in February. And the colors are white, silver and lavender." She told them.

"Oh wow, that's going to be amazing." Darcy gushed. "What about a location?"

"There are a couple places we have in mind, but I really love this Ranch compound outside of Boulder Colorado. There'd be enough room for everyone to spend the weekend before the wedding. And it'll be absolutely beautiful in the snow."

"Oh my god, I'm so excited for you guys." Darcy replied. "This is going to be amazing."

The conversation continued for an hour or so shifting between topics. Eventually Darcy and Clint said their goodbyes and made their way back to Darcy's apartment in Avengers tower.

* * *

"There, all done." Darcy said snapping the last piece into place. She made a show of placing Lego Hawkeye in the cockpit of the Quinjet before presenting it to Clint proudly. He smirked taking it from her and looking it over.

"My hair does not look like that." He commented playfully spinning the wheels. She rolled her eyes. He chuckled. "So what are you going to with these?" he asked gesturing to the other finished sets spread out on the coffee table.

"I'll probably fill in the empty spaces on the bookshelves." She told him. He looked at her skeptically. "What?"

"You're really going to display them?"

"Why wouldn't I? It would be a waste to just put them in a box somewhere." She told him. He scrunched his face in displeasure. "What's wrong?" she asked confused.

"Nothing, I just… your 24 and you bought Legos." He told her carefully, knowing he was walking on thin ice.

"Your 36 and you drop water balloons on the new recruits as their walking out of orientation." She retorted knowing exactly where he was going with this line of conversation. Natasha had warned her when she was still just thinking about asking him out, that he was a masochist and would most likely try and make a big deal out of their age differences. Clint opened his mouth to reply only to close it when he realized she'd figured him out. He set the Lego model on the table and shifted around in his seat on the floor to face her, next to him. She could tell he was about to start something self-deprecating, so she made a split second decision to cut him off while she could. She leaned sideways capturing his lips with a sweet kiss. She pulled away smiling lightly.

"Listen old man." He flinched. "Your age doesn't bother me; in fact I find it a turn on. So shut up and enjoy the ride." She ordered leaning in again. This time she took advantage of his lowered guard and pushed him back, coming to lie on top of him. She pulled back looking down at his surprised face with a smirk.

"A turn on?" he questioned, instinctively laying his hands at her waist. She nodded smiling. "How so?"

"I don't need a boy in my life, Clint. I need a man. Even if his maturity level fluctuates with the hiring cycle." He chuckled running his hands up her back.

"In that case." He smirked reaching over and pulling a pillow off the couch. He placed it behind his head before turning his attention back to Darcy. "Vroom, Vroom." He joked pulling her down to capture her lips with his. He kissed with intent, sending her head into a tizzy. His arms wrapped around her, holding her to him, leaving no space between them. Darcy moaned into his mouth and Clint took the opportunity to sweep his tongue into her mouth, igniting a dance that left them breathless and hot.

The need for air pulled them apart, giving Darcy the opportunity to bury her face at his neck, nipping here and there before soothing them sweetly with her tongue. "Jesus Darce." He gasped fisting his hands in her shirt. He could feel her smile against his skin and knew she was enjoying torturing him. She pulled away, looking down at him with a smirk, proud of herself. He shot her a crooked little smile before pulling her back down to him. She complied happily as Clint ghosted his hands up under her shirt setting off goose bumps wherever his fingers touched. She moaned, arching her back ever so slightly. It was enough though, to light a fire in him as he pushed back instinctively. Darcy gasped, biting her lip against a fit of giggles at the not so unfamiliar bulge making itself known. Clint blushed all the way to the tips of his ears.

"Sorry." He apologized looking up at her sheepishly. She shook her head chuckling.

"Don't be, I started it." Now it was her turn to look guilty.

"This isn't going any farther is it?" he questioned. She shook her head 'no'.

"I'm sorry, it was spur of the moment, I wasn't really thinking properly."

"Tease." He mumbled good naturedly. She bit her lips again holding back her laughter.

"On the bright side, I still got it." She laughed out loud at his scowl. He poked her in the side making her squeak in surprise. He smirked, proceeding to tickle her into submission. He flipped them over fluidly, hovering over her.

"Not bad circus boy." She told him, impressed by the expert move. His smirk widened as he leaned down, burying his face into her neck. He mimicked her earlier actions, pulling a moan or two from her. "Clint." She moaned lightly running her nails lightly across his back. He pulled away after a while, smirking down at her breathless form. She narrowed her eyes at him, mocking annoyance. His smirk only widened.

"Turnabout's fair play, sweetheart." He told her, his attention drawn to her ringing cell phone on the coffee table. Darcy sat up on her elbows picking up the device and answering.

"Hi Jane, how's Tarzan?" Darcy answered earning a snort of laughter from Clint.

"Why didn't you call me back last night?" Jane replied ignoring her friend's usual sense of humor. "Thor just got back from watching Tony. He said you and Clint got together last night."

"It sounds dirty when you say it like that." Darcy replied reaching up and fiddling with the hem of Clint's shirt. "I mean we didn't 'get together'. We are dating though. We are dating right?" she directed the questioned at Clint.

"I assumed so." He replied.

"Wait, he's there?" Jane asked.

"Yep, we were making out….in private….with no chance of anyone walking in."

"Oh…" to Jane's credit she had the good graces to sound guilty. "Well…um…I called cause I was wondering if you and Clint wanted to grab dinner with us."

"We haven't been together that long and you're already asking us to double date with you?"

"Uh, yea! Bruce is so private I've never even met his girlfriend and Tony insists on either fancy food or Shwarma." Jane explained. "I finally have someone vaguely normal to double with."

"Well when you put it that way…" Darcy replied. She put her attention on Clint who had at that point turned his attention back to the hem of her shirt, slowly inching it up as he laid kisses across her abdomen. "Do you want to go out to eat with Jane and Thor?" she asked he looked up at her as he replied.

"Sure, I could eat." Before he turned his attention back to what he was doing. She rolled her eyes.

"Ok, we're in." she continued with Jane. "Meet you downstairs in ten?" I got you something too."

"Sounds good. Can't wait." Jane replied before hanging up.

Darcy looked down at the top of Clint's head. She reached forward running her hands through his hair before pulling him up face to face. He grinned at her cheekily before planting a big sloppy kiss on her lips. She laughed, extracting herself from beneath him.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up." She told him, pecking him on the lips, before heading for her bedroom. He watched her go, half a smile on his face.

He could definitely get used to this.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 7 complete, kind of a filler chapter to be honest but here it is. Chapter 8 up soon. A short little time jump and a peak at Darcy's relationship with her mother.

Just a little side note on the Avengers toys. Seeing as how I am 20 going on 12, I have every Avengers and Ultimate Spider-man set that's come out so far, and if you've ever seen Lego Hawkeye he has serious Beiber hair.

I regret nothing.

-Later Days


	8. Just A Little Understanding

Just Darcy

Chapter 8: Just A Little Understanding

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, but I have some news to share with you. I just found out I have to have more surgery and so I will be on a short hiatus from this story. I'll still be writing during recovery but I'm hoping to get as many chapters as I can written during the break so you guys won't have to wait so much again. Any way here's chapter 8, and I have chapter 9 finished already. I'll probably post it in a few days to weeks and then stop for a month or so during my recovery.

To be honest this particular chapter is more of an introduction to set up later events.

* * *

_Is this the real life,_

_Is this just fantasy_

_Caught in a landslide_

_No escape…_

"Hmloo."

"You're 24 and still sleeping past eight." The voice that replied was calm, commanding and condescending.

"Hello mother." Darcy greeted, rolling over onto her back. "How are you?"

"As well as could be expected." Becky Lewis replied. "I'm back at JAG from the carrier." She continued.

"Safe trip I assume?"

"Indeed. How are you? Did you find a job yet?" her mother asked. Darcy could tell by her tone, she was disappointed to have any kind of grace period between graduation and employment.

"Yes, I'm in New York now. I'm an Admin Assistant for a government Handler." Darcy explained, just like Coulson told her.

"Hm, not bad, I suppose." Darcy rolled her eyes, good ol' Becky, spreading the motherly love. "A place to start I'm sure."

"Yes it is." She replied, then with a bit of misplaced hope added. "My boss says I'm excelling quickly. He's very impressed with my work." There was pause on the other end.

"You're not wearing low cut blouses are you?" Darcy sighed. She definitely walked into that one.

"No mother, I'm not." Darcy droned with practiced ease.

"Very well, I have to get to a deposition."

"Ok, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Darcy sighed resisting the urge to throw her phone across the room. She completely forgot that today was the first of the month. And as per usual, her mother called right on time. It's comforting in a completely masochistic way that her mother never changes her routine. The first of the month, every month (with the exception of January) she would call early in the morning. The conversation was always the same, how are you? What are you up too? How are you embarrassing me now? And it didn't matter what Darcy said, (hey mom I have a 3.9 GPA. Hey mom I'm in the top ten of my class. Hey mom I'm on the Dean's list. Hey mom, I'm a high ranking Administrative assistant for a Government Ninja in charge of the world's most famous super hero team) she always had a way of making it sound like nothing at all.

Becky Lewis, for all her accomplishments, would never be mother of the year. Who could blame her, getting pregnant out of wedlock, right in the middle of a pivotal point in her naval career as a Marine Lawyer. Poor old Colonel Becky Lewis. How could anyone expect her to raise a child AND balance a career at JAG?

"Absolutely preposterous." Darcy mumbled to herself getting up and heading out to the kitchen. She switched on the coffee pot and pulled out a mug. Behind her she could hear her door open.

"Awe, you're awake." Clint pouted. Apparently she couldn't do anything right today.

"So." She replied shortly. Clint looked her over surprised by her tone. He knew she wasn't a morning person but she was never mean or this tense. Cautiously, he moved up behind her as she prepared her coffee wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I was just hoping to slide into bed with you." He told her softly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Sorry to disappoint you." She retorted obviously annoyed. Clint stepped back from her, turning her around to face him.

"You didn't. Jesus Darcy what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm going to take a bath." She replied walking away without a word. Clint watched after her completely confused.

* * *

Clint held the swinging door open for Pepper, before following her into the shared the kitchen. The team was there for various reasons, as well as Dr. Selvig and Coulson.

"Virginia!" Tony greeted drawing everyone's attention. "Did you mail your letter to Santa Claus yet?" Pepper sighed.

"Is it really December already?" she questioned, walking to the coffee pot.

"Why yes, yes it is." Tony continued a goofy smile on his face. "So be sure to be a good little girl, cause Santa's watching."

"It's been twelve years Tony." Pepper began fully aware of the show they were putting on. "It wasn't funny the first year, and it's not funny now." She pulled a donut out of the box on the counter.

"Now, now Virginia, where's your Christmas Spirit?"

"I think she's about ready to kill you Tony." Jane commented.

"Like that's ever stopped him." Natasha added swatting Clint away from her food.

"Every year it's the same thing. Come December first the Christmas jokes start. It was never a problem growing up." Pepper explained matter of fact. She turned back to the counter drinking her coffee.

"Alright Virginia, you leave me no choice. If you don't get into the holiday spirit soon, I'm not going to take you to Macy's." he warned her. Pepper rolled her eyes. "Don't you want to see Santa?" she scoffed.

"Only if he's passing out Mickey Moto Pearls." She replied earning a snort of laughter from Natasha. Tony smirked.

"Well if that's all it takes, I…" Tony began only for Pepper to cut him off by stuffing her donut into his mouth quickly.

"Chew carefully, we wouldn't want you to choke." She told him, patting him on the cheek. She then grabbed her coffee and left. Tony turned to face the rest of the team.

"Good donut." He garbled around the mess in his mouth. All he got was a mixture of smirks and unamused stares.

"Anyway." Jane said deciding to change the subject. She turned her attention to Clint. "How's Darcy?" Clint looked up at her, eyes wide and completely caught off guard.

"Oh, that's right, it's the first of the month." Dr. Selvig added absently. Jane nodded.

"What are you talking about? What happens on the first of the month?" Clint asked worried. He wasn't sure he wanted the answer, but maybe Jane could explain Darcy's strange behavior.

"You don't know?" she asked confused.

"No, what do I need to know?"

"Is everything alright?" Coulson asked, recognizing Clint's expression. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly but the archer seemed a bit frantic in his quest for answers, and for Clint that could be dangerous.

"Well, on the first of every month her mother calls."

"Yuck, poor girl." Tony commented having finally rid himself of the donut.

"You know her?" Natasha questioned. Tony nodded.

"Unfortunately, her father used to bring her to different functions hoping that she would catch the bug and want to take over the family business." Tony explained.

"What's wrong with her?" Steve asked curiously.

"She's…intense?" Tony replied looking to Jane for conformation. Jane looked at him incredulously, before turning toward everyone.

"She's a bitch. A cold hearted bitch." She told them. They looked at her surprised. Until now Jane had always been rather demure when she spoke. They'd never even heard her raise her voice much less swear.

"Such strong feelings." Thor spoke first, just as surprised.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. The woman can only make time to call her daughter once a month and not even on her birthday. And then when she does call she talks down to her, treats her like she some spoiled brat who doesn't know how to stand on her own and makes her feel like despite all she's accomplished it's not good enough."

"Is she usually that tense after her calls?" Clint asked.

"You've seen her already?" Coulson questioned. Clint nodded.

"Yea, she was on edge. And it was like she thought everything I said was an attack on her." Jane nodded.

"I wonder if Jared knows. Her grandfather." He clarified to those who didn't know. "I can't imagine he would let it happen if he did." Tony added absently.

"Nope, she said it would be a waste of time because her mother doesn't listen to anyone but her superior officers." Jane explained.

"She's military?" Steve noted. Jane nodded.

"Colonel Becky Lewis. She's a Marine lawyer at JAG down in Quantico Virginia." She looked to Clint as she spoke and noticing his dismay decided to put him out of his misery. She turned away from the counter and went to the pantry pulling out a box of Velveeta mac n cheese. She then went to the refrigerator and pulled out a package of hot dogs before returning to the counter and placing them in front of Clint. He looked at her confused.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Part one of 'Darcy's Cure for a Crappy Day'." Jane began. "Make her lunch, and then initiate part two, which is to have her pick one of her favorite movies to watch."

"And that's it?" Clint asked. Jane nodded.

"She may have a trust fund, but I can assure you she's a very simple girl."

"Alright then." Clint looked at the clock, 11:15. "She should be done by now." He mumbled to know one in particular, sliding off the stool. He grabbed up the food Jane had given him and headed for the door.

* * *

Darcy sighed as she slipped into a pair of sleeping shorts and Clint's Army shirt. She couldn't help but think of him as she traced the letters with her eyes in the mirror. She had been kinda short with him this morning and now that she really thought about what he had said, it was a really nice thought. She would love to have him just come in here and hold her while they just lay there, and relaxed, no one to interrupt them. But she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, especially since he seemed a bit angry himself when she snapped at him. She really wished her mother would just stop calling. At first it was nice, it made it seem like she was actually putting an effort into being…something in Darcy's life but as time passed and Darcy lost that air of naivety it became all too clear that her mother wasn't changing. She wanted to just stop answering but if she did that then her mother would call her grandparents and complain that Darcy was a spoiled brat and that she wasn't making an effort. And for as much as she disliked her mother, she loved her grandparents and didn't want to put them through that.

Darcy sighed again, debating whether or not to just crawl back into bed when the sounds of pots and pans clinking together told her someone was in her kitchen. Curiously, she walked out of the bedroom, stopping in her tracks when she spotted Clint at the stove pouring a box of Velveeta shells into boiling water.

"Clint?" she questioned confused. He looked over his shoulder at her, smiling.

"Hey you, lunch should be ready soon." He told her, looking back to the stove and adjusting the heat under a second pan full of hot dogs.

"What are you doing?" she asked confused before she could stop herself. Clint hesitated turning to face her.

"Making lunch?" he began. "This is your favorite, isn't it? It just seemed like a day for comfort food." She starred at him, watching him a little suspiciously for a moment. He didn't flinch. "I thought maybe we could have lunch and watch some movies. My schedule is completely free so it's just us today…I mean if that's what you want." She nodded. He smiled. "Great, why don't you pick out some movies? Anything you want." She nodded again, still a little taken back by his presence. She hadn't expected him to want anything to do with her today after the way she acted this morning, but here he was, making her favorite stay at home and sulk meal and offering to let her have free choice of whatever movies she wanted to watch. He was just way too good to her.

Darcy shook off her confusion and made her way over to the bookshelves next to the TV stand. There were only a few things in Darcy's life that she ever allowed herself to splurge on. The list was rather short and included music, shoes, the occasional miscellaneous item that depended on her mood, and of course visual media. Her blu-ray/DVD collection, including movies and television series, was rivaled by none and she took a deep pride in that fact.

Deciding to be merciful for Clint's sake, Darcy chose a few movies off the shelf and set them on the coffee table before moving back to the kitchen where Clint was finishing off lunch. When he was done, he handed her a plate and then moved to the fridge to grab them drinks. When he turned back he watched amused as Darcy cut up hot dogs on her plate spreading them out before spooning a big helping of mac n cheese on top and mixing them together.

She looked up at him when she heard him chuckle. "Simple but strange." He commented laying a kiss on her temple and handing her, her drink. She blushed walking over to the couch and sitting down. "So, what'd you choose?" he asked getting comfortable next to her.

"I thought we could start with Tombstone and then transition over to something like Jurassic Park." She told him.

"Sounds good." He replied setting up the Blu-Ray player. They ate in silence as the movie began and Clint suppressed the urge to outright laugh at her when she made appreciative noises as she ate. And when she started mouthing the lines absently to the movie he had to resist the urge to kiss her. Of the few movies Clint made an effort to see, Tombstone was probably his favorite.

As Clint finished eating, he set his plate aside, leaned back and propped his feet up on the table. He was pleasantly surprised when Darcy moved up next to him, curling into his side and wrapping a blanket around them. As she cuddled up to him, laughing at one of Val Kilmer's witty retorts, Clint couldn't help but wonder how anyone could make this beautiful, classy, warm, loving woman feel like nothing. How could anyone be little her or hurt her, especially someone who was supposed to take care of her. He knew it was ridiculous for him to think he could protect her from everything, but he would try because she meant that much to him, and at the end of day, someone like Darcy always deserved to be happy.

* * *

"No, don't go Mr. Arnold." Darcy pleaded to the TV screen. Clint chuckled.

"You know he can't hear you right?" she poked him in the side.

"Doesn't Mr. Arnold kind of remind you of a young Nick Fury?" Darcy asked.

"Kind of. More hair." She laughed. The rest of the movie went rather quickly after that and as the credits rolled, Darcy shifted off of Clint, turning to face him. He watched her, a little worried by the serious look on her face.

"You ok?" he asked. She smiled sweetly.

"I am now. Thank you." Was her reply. Clint smirked reaching over and hooking his hand around the back of her neck. He pulled her forward kissing her sweetly.

"That's what I'm here for." He told her. Her expression suddenly turned serious at his words.

"I'm sorry I was kind of hard on you this morning." She told him. "I just…" Clint cut her off putting a finger to her lips.

"Don't worry about it. I get it, I really do." He told her. "Sometimes family just doesn't get it like they should. But that's ok."

"Is it now?" he nodded.

"Yep, cause that's why I'm here. I don't always follow your thought process, but I want you to know that I'm listening, and I want you to be able to talk to me." She smiled at him.

"Careful Hawkeye, you're getting all mushy on me." She replied earning a chuckle.

"Yea, well you bring out the best in me." She smiled at that. They were quiet for a while until Darcy spoke up.

"I… I don't understand her." she said softly. "I've never been the way she thinks I am. I just don't know where she's getting these ideas from."

"Darce, what about your father? I know you said you don't know him but have you ever tried to find him?" Clint asked. She shook her head 'no'.

"I once asked her about him."

"What'd she say?" he asked.

"She told me he was a busy man and he probably wouldn't want me and it was better off that I just left it alone." Darcy explained. Clint hesitated as what she said sunk in.

"Wait a minute, probably? As in he doesn't know about you?" Darcy shrugged.

"That was always my understanding."

"Did you ever think about finding him?" Clint asked.

"Yea, when I was really angry with my mom once I thought about looking for him. I had this idea that I would find him and prove her wrong. I would prove that he really did want me and he would be angry at her for not telling him and then he would take me to live with him and we would have all kinds of adventures and every summer and we would travel the world, where ever I wanted to go." Darcy laughed bitterly. "Needless to say that never happened."

Clint watched her sadly. "But you were happy right?" he asked, he seemed desperate for an affirmative answer. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Yea, yea of course. I mean with the exception of my mom I can't complain. My grandparents are awesome and we're really close. I never wanted for anything." She told him. He smiled at her relieved. She smiled back. "You seem…relieved." She said curiously. He looked down at his lap, scratching the back of his head in thought.

"When my parents were alive things were…well they were great. My dad was tough but only because he wanted us to have a better life then he did. And my mom…well she was amazing. She was the perfect mom, like Leave It to Beaver- I Love Lucy kind of mom. Baking pies, dinner on the table at five." He paused to collect his thoughts. "But, um after… you know…the system… it's flawed and we just didn't have what we were used to…." He paused again taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry I'm rambling…I just, I guess it makes me feel better knowing that despite your mom you were still happy."

"Why?" Darcy asked hesitating. Clint blushed, not expecting her question.

"Because you're awesome." He laughed, shrugging. "I just…I think that the fact that you are so happy and bubbly and just up beat in general is one of the main reasons I was attracted to you and I don't ever want to see that taken away from you."

Clint looked up at her, taken back by the blank expression on her face. It was definitely not a reaction he was expecting from her. Maybe a smile, maybe a laugh, maybe even a scowl, but definitely not nothing at all. He was just about to ask her what was wrong until she sprung forward capturing his mouth with hers. He was surprised to say the least but far be it from him to turn her down.

He kissed her back with the same intent he always did. Feeling his way around her, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She moaned, sliding over to him and straddling his lap. His hands found her waist, thumbs massaging her hips. She ran her hands up his chest and into his hair, fisting it. She seemed frantic, moaning with everything he did. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder where this had come from.

The need for air pulled them apart, but Darcy didn't go far, keeping herself face to face with him. They were breathing heavy, their breath mingling in the small space between them. With little pause Darcy leaned forward attacking his neck with nips and licks, enjoying the way his breath caught in his throat. She followed the column of his neck down and around to the front laying a kiss on his Adam's apple.

She pulled away looking down at him, head tipped back against the back of the couch. She bit her bottom lip, taking him in. He was so amazing to her, so wonderful. To hear that he was actually concerned with her happiness, to know that his real worry was whether or not she smiled enough that day, or that she was this little ray of sunshine meant the world to her. There were many sides to Clint Barton, she'd seen several of them already, but this side of him was new, this side of him was something she never experienced with him or any other guy for that matter. She wanted him, he made her want him.

"Clint?" She called softly. He opened his eyes, lifting his head to look at her. "Make love to me?" she continued just as softly, blushing at her own words. He seemed to perk up at what she said.

"Darce, are you serious?" he asked wide eyed. He had to make sure he heard her right. They had been dating nearly four weeks so far and while he didn't want to seem like he was rushing her, because honestly it wasn't about the sex for him, it was a proven fact that his girlfriend was hot, and the past four weeks of slight petting, making out like teenagers and just plain teasing was making it more and more difficult to keep his hands to himself. She smiled shyly at him nodding.

"Yes, I'm serious. I… I really want this. I want you."

She didn't have to say anything else. The adrenaline pumped through him at her declaration and hooked his arms under her knees, pulling her up and flipping her onto her back. She squeaked in surprise, laughing hysterically as he playfully ravaged her neck. "You're going to be the death of me." He mumbled into her neck, nipping at her collar bone. She moaned running her hands up into his hair. She gripped, pulling him up to kiss her.

His hands were everywhere, gripping her hips before trailing up under her/his shirt. She moaned into his mouth as his hands grasped her breast through her bra. He pulled away looking down at her with a smirk, before pulling her shirt up and off her body. He sucked in a breath as he looked her over. "Damn baby, you're a thing of beauty." He told her, sending a blush across her cheeks. And then he was there, moving down her body and kissing every inch of exposed skin he could reach. He reached behind her, dancing his hands up her back to the clasp on her bra. Expertly he flicked it open, leaving it hanging loosely on her body. He rose above her looking down at her in anticipation. She watched him curious.

"Are you ok?" she asked concerned. He nodded.

"Savoring the moment. Like opening a Christmas present or something." he told her with a childish grin. She laughed.

"Clint Barton is a total boob man. Who knew?" She laughed sarcastically.

"Damn right!" he exclaimed reaching down and pulling said bra off. He whistled in appreciation, smirking as her whole body flushed in embarrassment. Without warning Clint leaned down burying his face in her cleavage. She laughed at his enthusiasm, before her breath escaped her as his mouth found her rosy peak. He played at her chest, fully appreciating its size. His actions were only spurred on by the noises that escaped her.

"Clint." She whined, squirming beneath him, searching for any kind of friction she could get. He chuckled against her skin pulling away, her nipple falling from his mouth with a pop. His smirk deepened as he pulled his shirt off, her eyes traveling the expanse of his chest and arm. She worried her bottom lip looking him over like a piece meat. He loved it.

"I have to be honest with you Darcy." Clint began hooking his fingers into the waist band of her shorts and underwear. "Tonight is going to end only one way."

"How?" she asked breathless, almost whining with need. He looked her in the eyes, his pupils blown out with his lust.

"With you….screaming." he finished pulling her bottoms off smoothly. He took in the sight of her and the picture she presented him, memorizing her every curve and swell. She was perfect. Clint slid his arms under her thighs lifting them up onto his shoulders. She quivered as his warm breath fanned over her moistened sex. He could feel her trembling with anticipation as he hovered over her. He'd just hate to make her wait. Without hesitation, Clint leaned forward, experimentally flicking her clit with the tip of his tongue. She bucked at the rush of pleasure, gasping. Clint smirked, holding her firmly in place. She moaned as he did it again and again, torturing her and getting the reaction he'd wanted all along.

Clint pulled back slightly, blowing on her sex before plunging back in head first. He attacked her sex licking and sucking her lips and clit. Darcy reached down tangling her hands in his dirty blond hair. She tugged and pulled on it as the sensations he was giving her brought her closer to the climax she so desperately needed.

Clint reveled in the fact that he was giving her so much pleasure. The noises she was making were like beautiful music to him. He played her body as experienced as he played his guitar or wielded his bow.

She was so close she could hardly stand it. Her undoing however, came when he inserted his tongue into her opening stroking her walls. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh God!" she practically screamed her back arching up off the couch, strung as taught as his bow string. Clint smiled against her sex, slowly lapping at her as her juices flowed, ushering her down from her high.

When she finally relaxed he lowered her gently down, crawling up her body and resting against her. Sweat slicked her skin as her breathing evened out. She finally opened her eyes when she felt him above her, smiling up at him lethargically.

"I hope you're not too exhausted." He told her smiling down at her. She smiled back reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and brought him down for a sweet lingering kiss.

"And miss the chance to see how flexible you really are Circus boy, not a chance." She told him with a smirk when they pulled apart. He smirked back lifting off of her and moving to stand next to the couch. She looked up at him confused, before he reached down and scooped her up off the cushions. She squeaked in surprise as he carried her off to the bedroom and deposited her on the mattress.

"Condoms?" he questioned quickly as he stripped his jeans and boxers. He looked back up confused when he didn't get a reply only to widen his smirk when he found Darcy giving him the up down, her bottom lip between her teeth. Eventually her eyes settled on his, sending a blush across her face when she realized he caught her starring. "See something you like?" he smirked.

"Side table." She replied avoiding his question. Clint chuckled pulling a condom out of the drawer. Darcy watched the anticipation building as he opened the packet and slipped the condom onto himself. Clint then returned to his previous position above her lowering himself on her. She moaned softly as she felt his need against her thigh. Her body felt amazing molded against him, and he had to fight to keep control of himself.

"You're really going to be the death of me." he whispered hotly in her ear before thrusting into her. Darcy's mouth opened in a silent scream, her head thrown back. "Fuck." Clint grumbled against her shoulder biting it lightly to keep himself under control. Despite knowing she wasn't entirely innocent she was still insanely tight. "Fuck baby." he groaned as he felt her walls contract, trying to get used to his size.

And then he was moving, building the friction between them. Her head was spinning, her nails digging into his shoulders as she struggled to keep up with him. He was frantic, her walls squeezing him so perfectly he knew he wouldn't last long. He reached between them, his fingers finding her clit and applying sweet unrelenting pressure. She moaned, writhing against him before finally she snapped, her orgasm hitting her like a ton of bricks and Clint wasn't far behind. He buried his head into her shoulder grunting with his release, while Darcy came apart at the seams.

Clint collapsed beside her, taking deep breaths to calm his racing pulse. He smiled, one of his trade mark lopsided grins, looking over at Darcy beside him. Her eyes were closed as she struggled to regain her breath, a satisfied smile on her face. He stood from the bed when he finally calmed down, and headed to the en suite to clean himself. He returned shortly after, to find Darcy in the same position, her eyes open and looking directly at him. She smiled at him, reaching out for him. He smiled in return, moving to the bed and crawling in next to her. He pulled the blankets from the end of the bed up around them, and then pulled her to him, his arms wrapping around her protectively.

"That was amazing." Darcy mumbled into his chest, her own arms wrapped around him. Clint smirked.

"Glad I could live up to your standards." He joked. She chuckled nuzzling closer to him.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they lay together in the afterglow.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it, chapter 8.

-LATER DAYS


	9. Just The First Snowfall

Just Darcy

Chapter 9: Just the First Snowfall

* * *

It was cold outside. A simple fact punctuated by the harsh wind chill and falling snow. The thick heavy flakes clung to everything from windows to the streets to the cars unfortunate enough to be left outside. To be out in this weather was most likely dangerous. To be anywhere but curled up in the arms of a lover was foolish.

Darcy Lewis was a fool.

Darcy smiled as she looked up to the sky, eyes following the fluffy flakes as they made their decent on the unsuspecting city. She closed her eyes as a few fell on her face, chilling her skin. When she finally opened her eyes again, she looked around her, taking in the trees covered in snow. The ground around her was completely covered as well, so much so that she could no longer see the path she had walked down to get here. It didn't much matter though, she knew where she was and getting back out to the main yard of the park would be no problem.

So for the time being, she was content to just stand there and enjoy her favorite time of year.

* * *

Clint shifted in his sleep, his arm reaching for the warm body that was supposed to be next to him. When all he grasped was air his innate soldier instinct kicked in. He sat up immediately his eyes scanning the dark bedroom from corner to corner looking for answers. When nothing presented itself, he threw the blankets of the bed off of himself and began an extensive search of the rest of the apartment.

No Darcy.

If he we're anything but a highly trained soldier the panic he felt inside would easily be shown outside. As it was he also knew better then to jump to conclusions when it came to Darcy for all he knew she was in the kitchen downstairs looking for Tony's secret stash of gourmet chocolate.

With that thought in mind he took a deep calming breathe and called on Jarvis.

"How may I be of assistance Agent Barton?" the AI spoke sincerely.

"Locate Agent Darcy Lewis." Clint replied simply as he moved back into the bedroom to redress in the clothes they scattered on the floor the night before. It was then that he noticed that her clothing was missing as well and he found himself grateful she wasn't walking around naked.

"Agent Lewis is down the street in the park according the GPS chip in her phone." came a reply shortly afterward. Clint paused as he straightened his shirt. What the hell.

"Why is she there?" he asked grabbing a hoody and socks and heading into the living room.

"I could not say, but she left of her own accord twenty minutes ago and has not returned to the tower as of yet." Jarvis explained. Clint scowled. Why the hell would she leave? There was no reasonable explanation. A thought that he believed even more firmly as he caught sight of the city sky line blanketed by snow through the window.

"Son of a bitch." he grumbled to himself. "What the hell is she thinking?" he finished lacing up his boots before pulling out his phone and dialing Darcy. He grabbed his coat from the hooks by the door and then headed out as he listened to the call back ring.

* * *

Darcy pulled her coat up closer around her as the wind picked up. She started slightly as her phone went off in her pocket and pulled it out looking at the screen. She smiled as she answered.

"Hey." she greeted simply.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She held back a laugh at his tone, a cross between worry, exasperation, and crankiness for most likely lack of sleep.

"Waiting for you." she cooed softly. There was a pause on the other side before he spoke again.

"Just stay put I'll be there in a minute." he told her. She ignored his tone, there was no way she was going to let him harsh her mellow. He hung up without waiting for a reply.

Darcy sighed smiling to herself. He was going to be pissed when he finally found her, but it was worth it. She would never miss something this spectacular.

Darcy tried not laugh when she emerged from the path and spotted Clint practically jogging toward her. When he reached her he opened his mouth to say something but she quickly cut him off by falling into him and wrapping her arms around his middle.

He stood there shocked before his mind caught up and he wrapped his arms around her in return. She snuggled into his chest reveling in the warmth he brought. As he watched her he could feel his frustration melt away.

"What are you doing crazy girl?" Clint asked softly as he held her tighter. She looked up at him smiling lethargically.

"Look." she replied, looking up at the sky. He looked up. "It's snowing." she continued softly. He could hear the awe in her voice. He looked back down at her taken back by the sparkle in her eyes. "It's the first snow of the season." she said.

Clint starred at her, his eyes memorizing the look on her face. She looked so happy. She was glowing in the light of the moon and snow, like an angel, warm and content.

Slowly, Clint leaned down capturing her lips with his softly. He could feel her smile into the contact, and he couldn't help but do the same in return. They pulled away a few minutes later smiling down at each other.

"You still mad." She asked. He shook his head.

"I was never mad." he answered softly. "Just worried." he continued reaching forward to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She smiled and closed her eyes as his fingertips brushed her cheek. He smiled as he watched her.

"You were worried about me?" she asked opening her eyes. He nodded.

"I'm not used to reaching for you and you not being there." he explained. Her smile widened.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself." she told him. He shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. What do you say we head back, crawl into bed and keep each other warm." he suggested his voice deep and rough. She worried her bottom lip as she smiled at him.

"Sounds like fun." she replied letting him lead her back to the street. They walked wrapped in each other's arms down the street until they came upon Avenger's tower.

Darcy stopped before they could walk through the doors and turned to look up at the sky again. She took a deep and closed her eyes. She stood there for a few minutes a smile growing on her face before she opened her eyes and turned back to Clint.

She walked up to him the smile still on her face and took his hand leading him into the building.  
xXx

Sleep left Darcy slowly, calmly. She smiled as she rolled over stretching the kinks from her muscles like a cat. She moaned softly as lethargic feelings swam through her body keeping her calm even as she awoke.

She quickly became aware that she was the only one left in bed but the warm spot still next to her told her, her bedmate had not left her long ago. With that thought in mind, Darcy was content to just stay in bed and wallow in the scent that had so recently over taken her apartment. A spicy mixture of men's old spice and her favorite sweet perfume. It was quickly becoming her favorite smell. Seriously someone should bottle it and sell it, they'd make a fortune.

Darcy chuckled to herself at the thought. She always had the weirdest trains of thought but for some reason that was one of the reasons Clint had said he liked her so much. She wouldn't lie it had always been her experience that the men who showed any interest in her were usually turned off by her mouthiness and the only reason they put up with it was because they just wanted to get in her pants.

But Clint was different. He liked her weird tendencies and her inability to control her mouth. He liked when she talked about pop tarts like they were god's gift to man. He accepted her and her craziness.

Darcy breathed in deeply before pulling on the blankets on the opposite side of the bed. She pulled them around her, rolling herself up like an egg roll and squirming around happily.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Clint's voice sounded from the doorway drawing her out of her thoughts. She stopped looking over the edge of the blankets and smiled at him.

"Your side smells really good and its warm." she explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He chuckled.

"Of course what was I thinking." he replied walking toward her as she untangled herself. She grinned at him as he handed her a fresh cup of coffee just the way she liked it. She thanked him taking a big whiff before taking a sip.

"Mmm." she moaned. "How did you get so good at making coffee?" he shot her one of his crooked little smirks.

"I worked at a dinner part time after I got out of the service." he explained drinking from his own coffee.

"Oh really? So you didn't get recruited to SHIELD right out of the gate?" she asked a little surprised. He shook his head.

"Nope, for about 18 months after I got out I did odd jobs and part time work here in the city." he told her. She smiled.

"I honestly just assumed they recruited you right away." she replied finishing off her coffee. Clint held out his hand to take the mug from her, and then got up to bring it back into the kitchen. She quickly dressed and followed him.

"They actually tried." he finally said as she entered the kitchen in his old army shirt. He smirked, looking her up and down. "But, I was a little tired of the soldier life, thought maybe I'd call it quits and find a job here in the states. You know, settle down-wife, kids, white picket fence in the suburbs." He continued. Darcy starred at him like he was crazy. He blushed a little.

"Seriously?" she asked wide eyed. He nodded, un-characteristically shy. She forced a breathy laugh to stop before it could turn into a fit of giggles.

"What?" he asked shrugging. "You don't think I could do it, the whole family thing." she couldn't help but notice the disappointment in his voice.

"Well, no, I definitely think you could. I mean, I for one think you would be a great father I just..." she hesitated. "I didn't think it was something you would want." she continued. Silence fell between them as Darcy starred at her feet. Clint fiddled with his coffee mug before looking over at her.

"You really think I'd be a good father?" he asked. She looked up at him blankly as she processed his questioned. A wide grin split her face as a sugary laugh bubbled out. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I do believe I said great." she finally replied. He grinned leaning down to capture her lips with his. The kiss was chaste and they pulled away seconds later. She smiled lovingly at him.

Darcy stepped away and moved to the cabinet grabbing a pop tart out and popping them in the toaster. Clint sipped his coffee while she worked, starring out at the snow covered skyline.

"So, hey. I have a question." he said after a while turning to look at her at the breakfast bar. She looked up from her plate popping a piece of the toasted pastry in her mouth.

"Shoot." she replied.

"Last night, when we were outside the door downstairs, you stopped and did... Something..." he made vague gestures with his hands to say he really didn't know what to call it. "What was that all about?"

Darcy took a drink from her coffee before answering; "I was making my wish." Clint watched her waiting for her to continue. When it became apparent she had no intention of saying anymore he prompted;

"Your wish?" she looked back up and nodded. "Why?" she shrugged.

"It's just something I've always done. My grandma says that when the first snow hits you should make a wish because it's the beginning of the end. When the snow starts, spring is just around the corner, which is a new beginning for everyone and everything." she paused. "So you make a wish to lead you into the new beginning. It's kinda like a New Year's resolution."

Clint "Ohed". "So, what did you wish for?" he asked smirking at her. She smiled in return.

"Wouldn't you like to know." she replied finishing off her breakfast before standing from her seat. She dropped her cup and plate in the sink before coming to stand in front of Clint. She smiled up at him biting her bottom lip and lightly running her fingers around the ridges of his chest and abs.

Clint smirked down at her setting his coffee behind him and gently taking her hand in his. He pulled it up to his lips laying a chaste kiss on each knuckle. She sighed closing her eyes and smiling. She moaned softly.

"Mmm, come home with me." she moaned. Clint chuckled and she opened her eyes to see him looking around her apartment.

"Where are we now?" he asked amused. She shook her head.

"No, I mean for Christmas. Come home with me to Pittsburgh." she clarified, looking a little worried by his expression.

Being the man of few words Clint was, Darcy learned he tended to express himself through facial expressions. For example if he was happy he cracked a little smirk and his entrancing blue eyes glowed with warm character. If he was sad he clammed up, and just kind of pouted until he felt better (she usually took advantage of that mood because he tend to enjoy cuddling a lot more). But of all the expressions the only one that bothered her was his serious calm sniper face. The face with absolutely no emotion and completely impossible to read. Even Natasha admitted she had no idea what was going through his head when he looked like that. That face always made her nervous, and of course when she was nervous she tended to babble.

"I know it's kinda early and we haven't been together for very long, and I know you said you don't think your much of a meet the parents guy but I think they would really like you and I just thought maybe it could be fun and I totally understand if you don't want to..." she paused his expression not changing. "I just... I really want to share this with you." she continued a little self-consciously.

"I," he hesitated. "I um, I think I need to think about it." he told her a bit stiffly. She nodded a little wide eyed.

"O...ok." she replied before silence surrounded them. Silence hadn't been so awkward between them since they'd met. She fidgeted nervously before sighing harshly. "I'm sorry, I made everything weird." she finally said. Clint shook his head.

"No, you didn't." he replied. "You just took me by surprise." he explained pulling her into an embrace. She hugged him back nuzzling into his warm chest. They stood together for a little while just enjoying the others company until Clint's phone went off. He picked it up of the counter and opened it reading the text message.

"Avenger's business?" Darcy asked.

"Kind of." He replied leading the way into the bedroom. "Bruce and Tony were working on some new arrows for me and I guess they just finished them. They want me to go down and test them out for them."

"Now? It's eight a.m. on a Saturday morning." Darcy said as she watched Clint dress in his blue jeans.

"Well you know them, Banner lives for lab time and Tony barely stops working when Pepper is out of town." He explained looking around on the floor.

He turned to her smirking as he looked her over before stepping up to her. He leaned down capturing her lips with his as he reached for the hem of the shirt she was wearing. He pulled away a second later.

"As amazing as this looks on you, I'm gonna have to have it back." She pouted.

"So you would, not only leave me for your friends, but you would leave me cold and naked?" She asked feigning outrage. His smirk deepened as he chuckled.

"I'll be happy to leave you hot but unfortunately naked is non-negotiable." He told her, slowly lifting her arms above her head. He reached down and grasped the hem of the shirt, slowly lifting it up her body. He pulled it up over her head, tossing it on the floor as she lowered her arms. "Damn." He murmured taking her in, in all her naked glory. His smirk only widened as he noticed the goose bumps rising on her skin and the light blush that covered her body.

Clint pulled her forward into his body, curling his arm around her waist to hold her against him. He leaned down slanting his mouth over hers in a searing, sensual kiss. Their lips moved together slowly, deliberately, creating a heat between them that both found intoxicating in every way.

The need for air pulled them apart, but Clint wasted no time in moving his lips down her neck. He nipped at her pulse soothing over each bite afterward. Darcy moaned running her fingers through his short spiky hair.

"Clint." she mumbled as she smoothed her hands from his scalp down to his back, lightly running her nails across his flesh.

Clint smirked, moving further down her body, stopping at her clavicle to leave a hickey before pulling away and capturing her mouth once again. She moaned into the kiss as he lightly ghosted his hands from her hips down to her ass and back up to her ribs just below her breasts.

His smirk deepened as he felt her breath hitch when he brushed the underside of her breast. He slid his fingertips against her skin, moving them up until he could firmly gasp her breast. She gasped as he flicked his thumbs over the hardening peaks, moaning as the familiar tingle of pleasure shot through her. He could feel the heat under his hands as her body flushed.

"Clint." Darcy gasped as he squeezed and molded her breasts. Of all the things Clint loved about Darcy Lewis, and trust him there were a lot of things he loved about her, her body was near the top of the list.

It was always a firm belief of his that a woman should have curves. It was natural, it was beautiful, and it was so right in every way. A woman should never be afraid to have curves because curves were the difference between a woman and a girl.

Darcy Lewis was all woman.

Clint pulled their mouths apart after another searing kiss, removing his hands from her chest. He chuckled when she pouted at the loss.

"Don't worry, the best is yet to come." he told her his voice taking on the low register that drove her crazy.

Trying her hardest to sound unaffected she replied; "Someone's a little full of themselves today." her voice was a little breathier then she would have liked and she was sure he knew she was all talk. He chuckled again sending one of his lopsided little grins her way.

"I think I have every reason to be." he said running his hands down her back to rest on her thighs.

"Oh really?" she said leaning up on her tip toes to reach his ear. "Prove it."

Without warning Clint gripped her thighs lifting her up and forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed, dropping her lightly on the mattress. He watched her like a predator as he crawled up her body resting his weight against her before planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

Clint smirked at her confused expression, never breaking eye contact as he trailed kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and eventually down the valley of her breasts. He kept his eyes on her even as she closed hers as he grasped her breasts once again, massaging them lightly before taking a puckered peak into his mouth.

Darcy gasped, tossing her head back into the pillows. He smirked around her nipple nipping it lightly before switching his attention to the other. He alternated back and forth, his actions spurred on by her moans and gasps.

Eventually he pulled away, ignoring her disappointed groan as he continued the trail of kisses down her abdomen. Her abs muscles twitched as the light scruff of his facial hair tickled her skin.

Darcy opened her eyes when she felt the bed shift as if someone had gotten up. She looked down the bed in time to see Clint smirk wickedly at her as he gripped her ankles and yanked her down the bed until her she was bent over the mattress at the knee. She squeaked indignantly at his sudden action earning her a laugh from him.

She watched curiously as he got down on his knees on the floor, lifting her legs up and placing them on his shoulders.

He planted kisses on her thighs, teasing her, making her squirm under his touch as his breath brushed her core.

"Clint." she whined. "Don't tease." she continued squirming against his strong grip around her legs. He laughed squeezing her thighs playfully. He looked up at her with a grin earning himself a scowl.

Clint smirked leaning forward and proceeded to eat her out driving all thought from her mind. She gasped and panted, calling his name like a mantra as the coil in her stomach tightened.

"Clint." she moaned, gasping as he changed his approach, sucking on her clit and eventually sending her over the edge. She screamed his name as her walls clamped and spasmed with her release.

Clint slowly lapped at her pussy, easing her down from her high. She sighed in contentment a light sheen of sweat covering her skin.

Lazily, Clint crawled up her body planting kisses here and there. Eventually he made it to her mouth, capturing her lips just as lazily, with slow languid kisses.

She sighed happily as he smoothed his hands up and down her sides. They continued this way for a few minutes until Clint lifted himself off of her and stood from the bed. He grabbed his shirt off the floor pulling it on before turning back around to find Darcy watching him.

He smiled at her, walking up to the bed and leaning down over her. He kissed her on the fore head grabbing the blankets and pulling them over her. She smiled at his sweet gesture.

Clint looked at the clock, it had been an hour since he got the text from Tony and he could just picture him pacing impatiently having been made to wait as he was not use to.

"I have to go now, but I promise I'll be back by noon at the latest, ok?" he told. She pouted but nodded 'yes' anyway. "Good." he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead again before turning and heading out.

* * *

Clint began disassembling his bow as Bruce finished taking notes. "That went better than expected." Bruce told him.

"Of course it did, it was my tech." Tony replied from beside Clint. Bruce who was standing in front of the target, littered with perfectly placed arrows never turned around as he continued.

"We should only have to make a few minor adjustments." He explained. Tony scowled knowing he was being ignored.

"That film we took of you shooting should help in the future too." Tony added.

"Cool." Clint replied absently. This did not go unnoticed by either Bruce or Tony.

"You alright Clint?" Bruce questioned watching Clint work with intense focus he really didn't need to disassemble his weapon. He hesitated for a split second before finishing his work.

"I don't know." He replied simply not looking up from the metallic case. He sighed.

"Uh oh, I know that sigh, trouble in paradise?" Tony asked. Clint scowled.

"No…maybe…no." Clint volleyed back and forth. "There's nothing seriously wrong anyway."

"Then what's got you so distracted?" Clint sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Darcy, she wants me to go home with her for Christmas." He explained.

"And that's a bad thing?" Bruce questioned confused. Clint looked at him blankly.

"Not really. I mean, I don't know. I'm not exactly the guy you take home to meet your family."

"Join the club." Tony and Bruce chorused together. Clint looked at Bruce incredulously.

"Are you kidding? Tony I can see but as long as you keep your cool, you're the perfect example of a guy to 'meet the parents'." Clint replied.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Tony added sing songed-ly. Clint scowled confused.

Bruce sighed before replying; "My wife's father was the General in charge of arresting me and or killing me. Whichever was most convenient for him."

"Harsh" Clint commented. "Wait, you're married?" Bruce nodded. "How? When? Does anyone know about this? Why have I never heard this?"

Bruce hesitated, mentally sorting Clint's questions. "Right before the accident, we Eloped, and Tony and Pepper know. Dr. Foster and Thor think she's just my girlfriend, and I had to tell Director Fury and Coulson so they could be aware of any threats to her. And you never asked."

"Interesting, cool, figured as much," he pointed to Tony. "Makes sense, smart decision, and touché." Clint ticked off his reply. Tony rolled his eyes.

"This conversation is degenerating rather quickly." He mumbled. "So, back to the subject at hand. Darcy's grandparents are not ordinary people." he continued. "I don't think you need to worry about it so much."

"You think?" Tony nodded.

"Jared Lewis is a pretty awesome guy. Darcy is his pride and joy. And Darcy takes after her grandmother… literally; they have the same attitudes toward life they even watch the same shows together. Do you know how cool it is that a sixty nine year old woman can and regularly does quote Dr. Who?"

"That's all well and good but there are other things to be concerned about too." Clint retorted.

"Like what?" Bruce asked from his work station.

"Well, like the age difference. I don't know if they know and whether or not they disapprove. I mean I'm twelve years older than her. And then there's the fact that I'll probably have to lie to them about how we met if they don't already know who I am from news reports. And if they do recognize me what if they don't approve of my job. I'm a sniper I used to kill people for a living. Sometimes I still do." Bruce grimaced as he spoke. He had a point.

Tony sighed. "Is she happy?" he asked. Clint looked at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"Is Darcy happy with you?" Tony repeated exaggerating his annunciation. Clint thought about it.

"Well, yea, I mean, she hasn't complained…well except that one time, but really it's not my fault I snore occasionally." Bruce snorted. Tony sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Then you have nothing to worry about." He told Clint. "As long as she's happy and you treat her right you will be number one in their book." Clint took a deep breath.

"I guess I'm going to Pittsburgh then." He replied. "I should probably leave my 49er's shirt at home."

"Unless you want to be lynched then yes, that's a good idea." Tony replied as Clint picked up his gear. Clint shook his head as he headed out. When he was gone Tony turned to Bruce. "I should start charging for all this dating advice."

Bruce laughed.

* * *

Darcy smiled as she looked at the clock upon hearing the front door open. 11:59, right on time. She smirked, climbing out of bed and slipping on her under garments and sweat pants. She walked out into the living room to find Clint setting a bag of Chinese take-out on the coffee table.

"Why Clint Barton, an orgasm and lunch? You're a man after my own heart." Darcy told him as he removed his coat. He smirked at her, looking her up and down. You plan on walking around like that all day? I'm not complaining or anything I just feel I should warn you if you do it could be detrimental to any plans you may have of a non-sexual nature." She smiled at him amused as she jumped up on the couch cushions pulling him to stand in front of her.

"How can I put my shirt on if you're wearing it?" she told him.

"What?" his confusion was compounded when she lifted his arms above his head and then pulled his Army shirt up and off of him. He watched her flabbergasted as she turned it right side out and slipped it on before jumping down and sifting through the food cartons. She grabbed what she knew to be hers and stood up straight looking toward him when she realized he was still standing there confused. She looked him over.

"You really should put a shirt on." She told him, taking a seat on the couch. He stared at her slack jawed.

"I…but…I…." he stuttered. She looked up at him amused as she took a bite.

"Try syllables and sentences, babe." She told him turning back to her food. "And seriously put a shirt on, it's not polite to eat without one."

"I had a shirt on!" he exclaimed outraged and confused. "You took my shirt!" she looked up at him like he was crazy.

"No, I took my shirt." She explained. Clint sighed exasperating plopping down next to her. She held her food out in front of her to keep it from spilling at his movements.

"Sweetheart, I've had this shirt since basic, how is it your shirt?" he asked. He almost sounded like a teacher trying to talk to an unreasonable kindergartener.

"Because I sleep in it." She replied as if it were completely obvious. He starred at her like she was crazy. His face was a little red and she was kind of worried his head was going to explode. It took every ounce of will power not to outright laugh at him. Without warning, she leaned over, pecked him on the lips and then turned back to her food.

He watched her for another minute before grabbing his food and standing from the couch. He walked into the kitchen, setting it on the counter and then walked into the bed room to grab one of his spare shirts he kept there. When he came back out Darcy was sitting at the breakfast bar eating her lunch. Clint grabbed his own off the counter and went to lean back against the sink to eat. He didn't look up as he ate, but he could feel Darcy's eyes on him every so often. He poked at his food as he ate.

"So, um…what do you and your grandparents usually do for Christmas?" he asked her finally looking up. She bit back a smile.

"Lots of stuff. We kinda stretch it out as long as we can." She told him. "We go ice skating at PNC center and my grandmother is an amazing cook, she makes a big dinner for Christmas day. We celebrate Christmas eve like a party, playing games and watching all our favorite Christmas movies."

"Hmm, sounds like fun." He replied finishing off his food.

"It is. It's a lot of fun." She said softly, poking at what was left of her food.

"I don't usually celebrate Christmas, to be honest." He told her. "Maybe a drink with some buddies but that's about it." He paused. "I hear Pittsburgh is really nice during Christmas."

Darcy nodded. "It's the best, even if you're a 49er's fan." He chuckled.

"It should be a nice change of pace." He told her, tossing the empty food carton in the trash. A slow smile grew on her face when she realized what he was trying to say. She hesitated before saying something else.

"There is one thing I think I should warn you about." She told him. He looked to her expectantly. "Every year on the twenty third my best friend from high school has a formal party, you don't have to go, but I do." She told him.

"Do you want me to go?" she looked down at her at her food. She didn't want to tell him that it would mean the world to her if he went because she didn't want to guilt him into it, but the truth was exactly that. She nodded sheepishly.

"I'd really like it if you did. I mean, I'd like to show you off to all my old classmates and peers." She told him truthfully.

"You wanna show me off huh?" he questioned, lifting off the counter and walking around to her side. She nodded looking up at him. A soft smile spread across her face as she set her food carton on the counter and turned on the stool to face him. Clint leaned down, keeping himself elevated with a hand on the counter and another on a small sliver of her seat. He brought his face level with hers a smirk on his face. She nodded shyly, a light blush spreading across her face.

"I've kinda already told everyone about you. My grandparents and my best friend, especially my grandma, we had girl talk. She's really excited to meet you." Darcy explained, babbling as he leaned in closer and closer.

"Ok." Was his only reply as he closed the distance between them.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it chapter 9 as promised. As I said before I'll be off for a month or so for surgery, but in the down time I'm going to try and finish as many chapters as I can. I have up to twenty- two chapters already planned out I just have to write them.

-LATER DAYS


	10. Just A Little Insecurity

Just Darcy

Chapter 10: Just A Little Insecurity

* * *

A/N: I'm back! Yay! So I thought I should let you all know that I intend to intersperse different couples into this story. There won't be a ton but a lot of the things that happen to other couples in the story will influence things that happen to Darcy and Clint.

Also, a lot has happened in the last few months and as I sat down to write each time something came up or I had writers block. It's been a long and complicated couple of months, so things may not follow exactly how I led them in the beginning.

* * *

And show him off she did. Growing up the way she did, Darcy had a lot of fond memories of Christmas, but this Christmas by far had to be her favorite. Clint had been an absolute dream and her grandparents had fully approved.

Everything had started off ordinarily enough. Clint had picked her up from work and after getting dirty looks from McDowell and making fun of the smiling snowman tie she bought Coulson as a gift they were on their way to Pittsburgh.

The flight itself went smoothly and despite Clint's best efforts to convince her to join the mile high club; they remained in their seats in first class- thank you Tony. When they landed a driver was waiting for them at the gate, who took their bags, loaded the couple in a town car and drove them into the city.

Admittedly, she was a bit nervous when they pulled up outside her childhood home, a posh converted loft in the heart of steel city, when she saw Clint's expression. She wouldn't say he looked intimidated, that wasn't the right word, but he looked as though he felt out of place. It suddenly occurred to her, as she watched in the polished steel of the elevator doors, that he was an outsider and as experience had taught growing up, people who weren't well acquainted with her family more than likely jump to the conclusion that Darcy was the Lorelei to her grandparents Richard and Emily.

She could feel the tension mounting and she desperately wanted to say something, anything to reassure him that they would love him and that everything would be fine. The ding of the elevator when they reached their floor might as well have been a bomb going off as she practically jumped out of her skin.

Without thinking, and with the hope of putting his mind at ease quicker, Darcy grabbed up her bag before he could reach for it and then grabbed his hand, pulling him behind her toward the apartment door. She could feel his surprised gaze on her but she ignored it, pushing through the front door.

Cling had barely opened his mouth to ask where the fire was when a warm voice sounded around the corner. A wide grin broke out on Darcy's face as her grandmother walked into the foyer with a smile of her own.

"Hi Gram." Darcy greeted with a megawatt smile, as the older woman pulled her into a bone crushing embrace.

"Hello my darling." Claire Lewis replied, she pushed Darcy away to hold her at arm's length. "Oh, look at you, so professional. I'm so proud of you." Darcy smiled her nervousness slipping away in the wake of her grandmother's enthusiasm. "And you must be Clint." She finally turned her attention to the man standing in the background. They shook hands and made small talk until Claire allowed them to get situated in their room.

"We're not sleeping in the same room are we?" Clint questioned as they stepped into her old bedroom.

"Of course why wouldn't we?" Darcy replied jumping up on her bed.

"Your grandparents can't be ok with that." He murmured looking around him absently. Darcy smiled sweetly.

"I'm twenty-four Clint. Neither of them are under any delusions that I'm a virgin. Besides I highly doubt my grandmother would believe I wasn't sleeping with someone like you."

"Someone like me?" he questioned looking back at her. Darcy sighed, rolling her eyes. She stood from the bed, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"How many times do u have to tell you, Clint? You're fucking hot." Clint snorted shaking his head and pulling her to him. She laughed at him wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her. The kiss was short and sweet and left Clint with a pleasant nostalgia. His soft smile slowly shifted into a shit eating grin.

"So, uh, are we just gonna ignore the power rangers lamp or what?" he teased as she whacked him on the chest. He laughed heartily.

* * *

Meeting Jared Lewis hadn't been as bad as Clint originally suspected. As much as he hated to admit it Tony had been right about both of them. Both of her grandparents had gone out of their way to make him feel at home. And it most certainly didn't hurt his ego when her aunt, uncle and sixteen year old cousin, who could very well have been Darcy's little sister showed up for dinner and Cassie (her cousin) went on and on about how she thought Clint was the coolest Avenger because anyone with super powers or tech could fight bad guys, but you have to be really good to fight with only instinct and skill.

He asked her to repeat all that into his phone recorder so he could send the file to Tony. He may or may not have set it as his ring tone.

That night as they lay curled around each other, Darcy couldn't help the smile that found its way to her face.

"What's so funny?" Clint asked rubbing slow soothing circles on her back.

"Nothing, just thinking." She replied nuzzling her face into his neck, laying a kiss on his pulse.

"About what?" he persisted softly.

"Well," she began trying not to laugh at her own thoughts. "I'm fairly certain if you and I don't work out for some reason they'd ask to trade me for you." Clint laughed out right.

"Well what can I say; I am the world's coolest Avenger."

* * *

One Month Later

"I can't imagine she would be that angry." Bruce said taking a seat at the breakfast bar after he and Tony entered. Tony made his way to the refrigerator pulling out bottled water and turning to his good friend. He set him an incredulous look.

"I'm sorry, have you met Pepper?" Tony questioned from the other side of the counter. "I'll be lucky if I can walk straight after she finds out." He continued as Clint, Natasha, and Steve walked in dressed in their work out clothes. They looked to the pair as they entered.

"Piss Pepper off again?" Clint mocked. Tony looked at him annoyed.

"That remains to be seen." Bruce replied as he looked to Natasha. She looked at him confused.

"Did I miss something?" Natasha asked. Tony sighed harshly, sliding a tabloid toward her. Natasha scowled as she picked it up, feeling Steve step up behind her.

"Where the hell did they get this?" she glared down at the pictures of her and Tony, from his birthday party the year before. The caption read "Stark finds new floozy". "Who are they calling a floozy?" her glare intensified.

"Never mind that, Coulson assured me all these photos were deleted." Tony added.

"What is this from?" Steve asked trying not to sound upset. He couldn't fool Natasha though.

"It's my birthday party last year." Tony replied annoyed and oblivious. Natasha set the paper back on the counter and turned to Steve.

"I was working undercover as Stark's assistant so S.H.E.I.L.D. could assess his use for the Avenger's Initiative." She explained. Steve nodded slowly in understanding, the confusion in his eyes slowly fading away. She could tell by his expression that he would no doubt want to continue this later in private, but in the meantime.

"If this is just bad reporting, why are you worried?" Steve asked. "This is just a cheesy tabloid right?" he almost sounded as if he were trying to convince himself.

"Because this wasn't exactly a good time in our relationship. If things had gone even slightly different back then, there would be no pepperony now." Tony explained.

"Wait, what?" Clint questioned confused. "What does deli meat have to do with it?" Tony sighed exasperated.

"Not Pepperoni, pepperony." Tony corrected as if his words were visible. Clint glared knowing that condescending tone all too well. Bruce sensing the tension cut in before Clint could reply.

"It's what the media has named their relationship. Pepper and Tony….Pepperony." Clint paused as he thought for a moment. Eventually he sighed, rolling his eyes before stalking off toward the fridge.

"Anyway,." Bruce began. "Steve's right, I highly doubt Pepper would allow this to upset her. It's in the past." Tony scowled.

For some reason he didn't believe that.

* * *

Tony sighed as the warm water soothed his aching muscles and racing mind. He'd managed to see Pepper a few times today and while he always enjoyed the opportunity to see the love of his life, today he had been very wary of her. He wasn't the only one either. Pepper's temper was legendary among the Avengers and so anyone who knew about this morning's bout of bad journalism was steering clear of the feisty CEO.

However, anytime he was near her, she was her usually pleasant self if not a little distracted with work. It was to the point, where he wondered if she even saw the tabloids this morning. He had every single one delivered with the paper every morning and the fake story and old pictures were on at least three different prints, so she had to have seen it at least once when she went to read the paper.

Tony sighed as he stepped out of the shower, dried and dressed for bed. it was one of the dew nights he was actually going to bed at a decent hour and he probably wasn't going to get much sleep with all this running though his mind. Tony stepped out of the bathroom and looked to the bed to find Pepper propped up against her pillows and working on her tablet.

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't bring work to bed?" he said as he made his way to his side.

"No, we agreed you wouldn't bring work to bed. If I ever have to throw out another set of expensive sheets because you got grease all over them, I'm wrapping your half of the bed in plastic." She replied not looking up from her tablet.

"Hm." Tony lay back looking up at the ceiling. The only sound between them was the sound of Pepper's fingers drumming against the touch screen. After a while, the repetitive noise became too much for him and he sat up, facing her. She looked up at him questioningly. "Did you see the tabloids this morning?" he dove in.

"You mean the pictures of you and Natasha?" she asked finishing what she was doing on her tablet and shutting it down.

"And you're not mad?" he asked as he watched her put her tablet on her bed side table.

"Why would I be?" she questioned confused turning back to him. "I could tell those pictures were old." She continued, leaning forward and pecking him on the lips. "Besides, I know Natasha would never do something like that, especially not that Steve's in the picture." She added as she snuggled into the blankets.

"Oh," he replied starring down at her. "Ok, then." He added hesitantly before tucking himself in as well.

* * *

"_I know Natasha would never do something like that"_

Tony's eyes snapped opened as he sat straight up.

"What the hell?" he murmured as he climbed out of bed. Intently, he made his way down to the communal kitchen, bursting through the swinging door to find a good portion of the tower's residence. He searched the room for his target ignoring the confused stares from his comrades. He finally locates Pepper, pouring herself a cup of coffee at the counter. Sensing his eyes on her, Pepper turns just in time to hear him exclaim; "What do you mean Natasha would never do something like that?" She stared at him for a moment before replying.

"Exactly what it sounded like." Tony scowled angrily at her.

"Are you saying that I would?" he asks. Pepper shrugs.

"I don't know would you?" she replied in her calm no nonsense manner.

"Of course not!" he exclaims as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"Then no." she adds simply, picking up her tablet and walking out. Tony stands rooted to his spot, completely dumbfounded. Finally Clint steps up to him.

"Tony?" he questions. Slowly, Tony turned to face the group.

"Talk to her? Just ask her if she's mad? Don't let it fester?" his eyes were accusing as he turns for the door. "I hate you all!" he practically screams as he storms out. Clint dared to speak first.

"Well, I think it's safe to assume he talked to her."

Darcy sent him a glare Natasha would be proud of.

* * *

He should have just kept his mouth shut. Of all the things he could have done last night, talking was only one of them and not even the best option. And then of course, this morning was a complete disaster. He'd never freaked out on anyone like that before, ever, especially not Pepper.

The only thing he could do afterward was lock himself in his private lab, blast AC/DC and try to immerse himself into his work. Lucky for him he seemed to have scared everyone away from him, so he wasn't disturbed all day, leaving him plenty of time to get his work done. Now, as he rode the elevator to the pent house, he had to prop himself up against the wall, to keep himself from passing out. His entire body ached from exhaustion and he could barely keep his eyes open.

When he made it to the top, he found the penthouse seemingly empty. An observation he corrected as he made his way into the bedroom to find the en suite bathroom door closed. Through the crack under the door he could see a dim light accompanied by the wafting smell of Sakura Blossom. There was no other person it could be then Pepper and despite his exhaustion the gnawing guilt in the pit of his stomach for losing his cool with her earlier. With a deep breath he turned to the door, knocking lightly before opening the door slowly.

As he stepped in, he found her soaking in a bubble bath, candles lit all around the room. She looked to him with indifference as he peers around the door, before stepping fully in. She returned to her previous position, head reclined back against sill of the tub, and eyes closed.

"Hi." He greeted timidly.

"Hello." She replied. Neither says anything else until Tony is further into the bathroom, leaning against the counter.

"So, how was your day?" he asked.

"Busy." She replied simply, not looking at him. Tony sighed defeated.

"Listen Pep, I'm sorry about this morning. I don't know why I snapped like that." He told her, and she can tell he's sincere. "I just, I don't understand what you meant by what you said." He continued. This time Pepper sighed.

"It was nothing Tony, just let it go, ok." She replied.

"No, obviously it was something. You don't say things you don't mean."

He watched her as she opened her eyes and looked toward him. She sighed defeated, shifting in her place.

"I love you Tony, and I really do trust you, but there's this little part of me, after watching you for nearly fifteen years parade around with every floozy in the world, that doesn't wonder if you won't get bored with me and fall for some other woman." She told him. He stared down at her dumbfounded, before stepping forward and kneeling next to the tub.

"Pepper, I gotta be honest with you." He replied taking her hand. "One day, I will fall in love with another girl." He continued. He held her hand firmly as she tried to pull away. "And you know what?" he asked. She refused to look back at him, so gently he pulled her face to look at him. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "She'll call you mommy." He told her. a small hic up of a gasp escaped her as her eyes widened. He took the opportunity to lean forward and peck her on the lips. "I can't wait for that day." He added softly.

The tears finally fell, as she shifted forward to kiss him fully on the lips. When she pulled away she couldn't help but notice Tony's cheeky smile. She knew he was feeling cocky for making her cry. She narrowed her eyes at him before a thought struck her. She smirked at him before grabbing him by the collar and pulling him forward into the tub on top of her. She laughed out loud at his flabbergasted expression.

"You didn't think you were the only one who could make a move, did you Tony?" she asked amused. He smiled at her, leaning forward to capture her lips, in a passionate kiss. They made out for a while, the water sloshing around them, until Tony pulled away and climbed out of the tub. She watched him curiously, as he stripped over his wet shirt, throwing it to the floor. As it hit the marble floor with a wet slap, Tony leaned down into the tub and scooped Pepper out in one graceful movement. She squeaked in surprise, as he sets her on the floor and begins drying her body quickly.

Without another word, he picked her back up and carried into the bedroom, dropping her on the bed.

* * *

A/N: And so here is chapter ten. I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully chapter eleven will be up soon.

Coming up next: The wedding of Pepper and Tony, complete with ex's and plenty of romance and drama.

-Later Days!


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